


Whiterose Free-For-All

by TheGreatWeissShark



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Whiterose Schneenanigans Prompt Challenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 91
Words: 184,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24222874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatWeissShark/pseuds/TheGreatWeissShark
Summary: A series of one word, one use prompts created by the amazingly talented people in the Whiterose Schneenanigans discord server. This is a compilation of everyone's efforts.
Relationships: Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee
Comments: 373
Kudos: 551





	1. Noble

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to join in on the schneenanigans, click the link below to get the latest updates on SC! 
> 
> Link to server: https://discord.com/invite/whiterose-mafia 
> 
> THAT'S RIGHT, WE GOT THE TIER 3!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Noble  
> Writer: The Great Weiss Shark

When Ruby made landfall on the frozen land of Atlas, she was greeted by a row of soldiers standing in ceremony in front of a beautiful ornate carriage. There was a crowd gathered around it all waving and cheering with even more soldiers keeping them at bay. 

“Wow…” Ruby gasped in awe.

“Patch has got nothing on this place,” Yang whistled, waving down at the people.

“Do you think that's for me or…?” Ruby shyly glanced at Yang, her lips pulled thin. 

“What do you think?” Yang shot Ruby a dry look and gestured to the dock where the only ship of importance was theirs.

“Oh…”

“Yeah,” Yang groused. “Oh, hey, I think your future wife is staring up at us.”

“What?! Where?!” Ruby dropped down to her knees to hide behind the railings. Her heart wasn’t ready for this yet, but curiosity won her over without a fight. “Which one is she?”

“Uh,” Yang leaned over the railing with a hand levelled over her eyes, “you said she had long hair right?”

“Yup.”

“Snow white?”

“Mhm.”

“She’s cute.”

“Really?” Ruby hesitantly asked.

Yang smiled and patted the top of Ruby’s head. “C'mon, stand up and see her for yourself.”

“I-I don’t know if I can,” Ruby whined. “I’m nervous…”

“We sailed all the way here for you to meet her,” Yang said. “Be brave, little sister. Stand up.”

Ruby took a deep breath and rose to her feet. She stared down at the crowd and searched for someone familiar. Weiss' letters were fairly vague about her appearance, Ruby did the same, but she was certain that whatever Weiss wrote about herself would pale in comparison to the real deal. 

A woman with long white hair stepped away from the carriage and walked up to the gangway, her fur-lined red cloak fluttering gently behind her with each step. Ruby’s eyes widened and her heart began to race. She knew that cloak. It had been the gift she sent with their last correspondence.

“Speechless?” Yang teased. Ruby nodded her head. “Why don’t you go down there and meet her?”

“Come with me?” Ruby pleaded, her eyes still set on Weiss.

“Of course.”

Ruby walked down the gangway with Yang and a few of their guards. It was going well. Ruby looked like a proper lady of noble heritage, standing tall and proud as she descended—until she tripped on the last step, that is.

“Ruby!” Yang shouted in surprise as she reached out to catch her sister. She was a hair too late, but they were thankfully at the bottom when it happened, so Ruby fell into the arms her intended instead of the cold, soggy dock.

“That’s one way to make an entrance,” Weiss said with a bit of panic in her voice. “Are you okay?”

Ruby nervously laughed as she righted herself and smoothed out her dress. “I knew you’d catch me.”

“And if I hadn’t?” 

“Er,” Ruby blushed, “Yang would’ve?”

“Nah, you would've kissed the dock,” Yang laughed tiredly.


	2. Adventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Adventure  
> Writer: gaymerkree

It was the way she moves, Ruby thinks, that drew her to Weiss. The silent confidence that commanded the sway of her hips like the moon does the ocean. Weiss moves like water on land, silent and smooth. Ruby finds herself watching the older woman when they’re alone, and Weiss is too distracted to acknowledge the silver eyed stare following her around her, no  _ their _ apartment. Ruby falls in love all over again in these moments, watching Weiss silently, like a predator stalks its prey. 

Currently, Weiss is making their bed. Bustling around from corner to corner, refusing the taller woman's help as usual. It’s not that Weiss didn’t like when Ruby helped, no Ruby would help with a lot of their chores, but making the bed? Ruby wasn’t allowed to help because the bed would never  _ get _ made. They’d end up curled in the warm sheets and each other’s arms sooner than the bed actually got made. So Ruby watches. She watches as the early afternoon sun filters through the blinds and coats Weiss in a soft white light that makes Ruby’s heart stutter. It’s not the sun that does it though, it has always been  _ Weiss _ .

The older woman was sweet to her, soft in the way she held Ruby’s hand, or caressed her cheek. The look of clear blue eyes when she made their coffee, or set dinner out on the table. Everything she did for Ruby made the redhead’s breathing increase and her heart thunder in her chest. Sometimes it just felt like too much. Ruby was overwhelmed with the affection she held for the blue eyed woman.

In the leather armchair at the edge of their room, Ruby shifts. She watches Weiss move about the room with purpose. Ruby’s hands twitch on the arms of the chair, anxious to hold her girlfriend again. It’s bad luck that when Weiss finally gets all the corners of the sheet down Ruby nearly tackles her into the bed. Weiss releases a soft squeak when long tan arms wrap around her waist and they land against the soft plush of the bed. The sheets pop and curl around them, making Weiss groan and playfully slap at Ruby’s arm. 

“Ruby Rose you tall idiot!” She sounds less angry than she means, but she’s laughing as Ruby buries her face into a pale neck. 

“I couldn’t resist. You’re just too cute Weiss!” Something in her chest expands, and Ruby has to hold back tears as she snuggles closer to the woman of her affection. “I just had to hold you…”

Weiss submits willingly, allowing Ruby to curl around her, strong arms wrap tightly around her waist. She can tell something’s off with her girlfriend, but doesn’t pry, and Ruby thanks every possible deity that she’d been given Weiss Schnee to be with. 

They lay there for a while, Weiss’ fingers trailing over Ruby’s tightened arms around her waist as she hums soft songs.

“Weiss…” It’s a whisper against the back of Weiss’ neck, cautious and filled with emotion. “Can we talk?” There’s a spike of panic within Weiss that Ruby can feel like it’s her own.

“What’s going on love?” Weiss rotates in strong arms, looping her own around Ruby’s neck. “Is something wrong”

Quickly Ruby shakes her head, burrowing into Weiss’ neck to sniffle. “More like everything is right.” Weiss’ arms tighten around Ruby’s neck and she laughs softly.

“If everything is right, why are you crying?” When Ruby looks up into clear blue eyes all she can see is the affection she’s grown to love. Her heart skips a beat and familiar butterflies fill her stomach.

“Because I love you more than anything, Weiss.” Leaning forward, Ruby pressed her lips to Weiss’, savoring the smoky taste of her morning coffee, and the feel of her breath against Ruby’s cheek. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To have Adventures with you, forever.” She rolls easily, pressing Weiss into the mattress and the wrinkled sheets, before kissing her again. “I’m crying because I know all this, but I can’t afford the ring you deserve to ask you to… to…” 

Ruby presses her forehead into Weiss’ exposed collar bone, leveling her breathing. “Are you asking me to marry you?”

The question is breathless, stunned, and Ruby feels more butterflies erupt in her chest. “Y-Yes? No! I-I don’t! I don’t have a ring!” The redhead stammers, arms shaking from nerves and holding her weight above Weiss.

Beneath her, Weiss shifts towards her night stand, and rummages in the drawer before lightly pushing Ruby away, just a fraction. “Ruby Rose.” She takes a deep breath, leveling determined blue eyes up at cautious silver. “I love you so much more than you know. You could propose to me with a plastic ring from a grocery store coin machine and I would still say yes.” It’s then that Ruby sees what Weiss had removed from her night stand, a simple white velvet box she’s now holding between them. “Every day with you is an adventure, and I want nothing more than to keep having those adventures for the rest of my life.” She opens the box, and inside is a delicate white silver gold ring. The band is molded like the stem of a rose, with a leaf that branches off, and the stone is a modest diamond, a white rose.

Silver eyes blink dumbly at the beautiful ring. Ruby pushes back, allowing Weiss to sit up as she settles back on her knees. “I-” Words don’t come easily. Briefly Ruby remembers how often she’d been told her whole life that she talked a lot, turns out all you had to do was be perfect and propose to her.

“Will you marry me Ruby?” Tears flood her eyes, and Ruby can’t see but she nods frantically. Weiss reaches for a shaking hand to slide the ring on, and Ruby marvels at how  _ perfect _ it fits.

Still crying, Ruby nearly tackles Weiss back into the bed, kissing her breathless. Any other plans they may have go right down the drain, and the bed doesn’t get made.


	3. Where's the Map?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Map  
> Writer: Winter1112

Ruby Rose has grown and matured over the last four years at Beacon, physically and emotionally. At six feet, two inches and an undisclosed weight because it's rude for a lady to reveal that, while also developing an hourglass figure to match, the rabbit faunus woman is always the subject of second looks. Sometimes even third looks, fourth looks, unwanted date requests, and once a marriage proposal from some bigwig in Vacuo. She takes it all in stride, thanks to her emotional maturity.

It helps that Weiss, her overprotective and highly jealous wolf Faunus fiance usually chases them all off eventually, while screaming at them all to leave her future wife alone.

But one thing will always make her break out into a pure, unadulterated panic attack that requires the use of a paper bag to stop. And that is when it's Yang's turn to hold onto the map. Even when it's not her turn, she ends up stealing it every mission, promptly losing within an hour. And she doesn't just lose it, noooooooo! Just losing it is too easy!

Yang Xiao Long has turned losing maps into an artform.

Once, an ursa actually ate it before trying to kill them. Another time, she let it fall into the campfire while she and Weiss argued over if they were going in the right direction. But Ruby's favorite one was when she just gave it to some lost hikers while they were so far out in the woods, if they didn't have it they would be doomed too.

It took them three weeks to find their way back to Beacon. 

And right now, she desperately needs the paper bag in her field pack. "You lost it again?!"

Yang winces as she looks at her sister. "Yeah?"

"How?! I was actually hopeful that you finally ran out of ways to strand us in the middle of nowhere!" Weiss shrieks at her. "How do you always do this?!"

Blake isn't saying a word. Which isn't a surprise, as the panther faunus is currently hyperventilating into her own brown bag.

Ruby sighs as she grabs her future wife, who is attempting to storm towards her sister. Myrtenaster is firmly in her hand, full of nothing but blast dust, and her delicate seeming, yet surprisingly strong finger on the trigger. "Where or when did you lose it this time Yang?" She asks as she clamps a hand across Weiss's mouth. The wolf faunus's well known use of language that would make even the saltiest of sailors demand for her mouth to be washed out with soap during one of her rampages is absolutely not needed considering the current crisis.

"I know I had it yesterday. I remember looking at it, cause I'm planning a long motorcycle trip with Nora after graduation." She responds as she pats her pockets. "I just don't remember when I put it back in my pocket."

"Are you even sure you put it in a pocket, Yang?" Blake asks her partner, while still keeping her own brown bag ready.

"Yeah! I did do that much!" She replies angrily. "I think."

"Yang! We don't have time for I thinks!" Ruby screams at her while struggling to hold a furious Weiss, the wolf faunus still glaring daggers at the brawler while swiping at her repeatedly with Myrtenaster. "Weiss and I are getting married in a week! We sent invitations, paid for the church and the hotel, we even finally agreed on a caterer! We don't have time to get lost!"

"Not to mention we graduate in a month, Yang." Blake points out. "Headmaster Ozpin warned us that he won't delay the ceremony if we're late."

"I know all this guys! Which is why I brought…" stalling for dramatic effect, the Dragon grins as she pulls a second map out of her pack. "Ta da! A backup!"

All three of her teammates stare in surprise at the blonde's unusual foresight. Ruby even releases Weiss, who has stopped her struggling in her rabbit faunus fiance's arms.

"Wait, open it." Weiss declares suspiciously while glaring through narrowed eyes. 

Yang begins to sweat as she smiles nervously at the wolf girl, who is still holding her rapier tightly. "Oh come on, Weiss! It's a map, see? Why don't you go chase Ruby's bone or something?"

"Ha ha, sis. Very funny." Ruby declares dryly. "Open the map."

"Et tu, Ruby?!"

Blake smiles. "Oh good, you have been paying attention in English. Now open the damned map!" The panther asks demandingly while reaching for Gambol's hilt slowly.

All three of the faunus can smell the fear radiating from the blonde in waves, even as she slowly opens the map to reveal…

"WHERE THE FUCK IS THE MIDDLE OF THE MAP?!" Weiss screams angrily, Ruby already moving swiftly to once again restrain the now 5 foot 6 inch, curvier but still petite Atlesian girl she's loved for years now. 

But even she's staring in shock at the already ruined map, a huge hole in the center. This is honestly a new low, even for Yang. But at the same time, something seems really familiar about it. 

"Yang, is that your novelty map? The one you got from the premier of that one pirate movie you love?" Blake asks as she now grips the hilt of Gambol so tightly her knuckles are turning white.

"Aw crap, count on the book kitty to figure it out." Yang declares as she slumps in defeat. "Do I at least get a chance to run?"

Ruby nods even as she winces from Weiss biting her hand. "We'll give you two minutes. Out of respect for the fact that you tried, even if it was a fast one you were trying to pull." She informs her sister, while letting her foot long ears drop to her head. 

The blonde nods as she scoops up her pack while already turning to run. "Try not to be too yangry! I would hate for you three to beat the schneet outta me before puurposely leaving me behind!" She declares before taking off at a dead sprint, the faunus women silently counting in their heads.

Once they are sure she's out of her own hearing range, they sigh in unison.

"Did you remember a spare, Blake?" Ruby asks as she sets a still growling Weiss down, afterwards grabbing the first aid kit out of the wolf faunus's pack to doctor her now severely bleeding hand.

"I did. Fortunately, it's at the bottom of my pack." The panther informs them as she releases her weapon.

"I planned for this as well." Weiss declares as she takes a thicker, bulkier scroll out of the pocket of her coat. "Mama lent me her satellite phone. I downloaded a map to it as well."

Ruby nods as she grimaces. "I brought two, just in case. One's with Retribution in its case, the others in my bra."

"We are not missing our wedding, my dolt. We've been planning this for a year now." Weiss declares as she looks at the map on the screen. "Let us finish this last hunt, so we can go home and finish preparing."

Blake nods. "I have to pick Ilia up at the airport tomorrow too, so we need to hurry." She adds as she closes her pack and prepares to hoist it as well as Ruby's and Weiss's pack and their supplies into a nearby tree. "Do either of you care if she stays at the dorm?" She adds with a blush.

"Of course not, Kitten." Weiss replies with a smile for her best friend as she exchanges most of her dust cylinders for a better variety. "Ilia is absolutely lovely."

Ruby nods in agreement as she takes her new scythe Retribution out. It had been her mother's until recently, and Ruby cherishes the weapon the senior huntress passed down to her when she retired. Poor Crescent Rose had been left at Beacon in pieces, Ruby having been caught mid overhaul when this mission had come to them. "Lover, bestie, we have some Grimm to slay and a wedding and graduation to get back to."

"What about Yang?" Blake asks as she takes her long white coat off, leaving it with the supplies. "Are we not going after her?"

"Nope." Ruby replies sternly as she shoulders her weapon. "She brought this on herself. Let's go team."

_The three women successfully completed their assignment without further incident and returned to Beacon. Yang was missing from any of miriad wedding pictures taken the following week, and a cardboard cut out was used in her place at graduation. The woman herself was finally found six months later by a passing third year team, living off the land much like a female Bear Grillz and asking if they had a map._

_That same team finally returned with Yang in tow six months overdue, the brawler having promptly lost their map to a creep, who ate it before trying to kill them all._


	4. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Confrontation  
> Writer: Lord Byron Mudkippington  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lord_Byron_Mudkippington

“Ruby, we need to talk.” Ruby looked up from the TV to see Weiss staring down at her with a serious look on her face. That made her immediately scramble for the remote, muting the TV before turning back to Weiss with as innocent of an expression on her face as she could manage.

“What’s up, Weiss?” She recognized that look on Weiss’s face. It was her serious face. The one she wore when she was in a no-nonsense mood. It was an expression that Ruby never liked to see, because it usually meant that a confrontation was afoot. Swallowing thickly, she could only hope for the best. She loved to fight, but she was  _ not  _ a confrontationalist at heart.

“I think you know exactly ‘what’s up’, Ruby.” Putting her hands on her hips, Weiss stared down hard at her. Ruby was the one to break first, looking away and twiddling her thumbs nervously. “What did I tell you yesterday?”

“Uhh… ‘I love you?’” she mentioned hopefully, which got a sigh and eye roll from Weiss.

“Besides that.” When Ruby didn’t respond, or perhaps refused to, Weiss got more frustrated. “Don’t think you can get out of this conversation by pretending you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Ruby continued to look down guiltily at the floor. “Ruby, look at me.”

“I like looking at you,” Ruby tried, looking up with a worried smile. All it did was get an exasperated sigh out of Weiss. It wasn’t the first time, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last.

“Come with me, Ruby. I want to show you something.” Ruby looked at the TV, then at Weiss, then back at the TV. With her own sigh, she got up and followed Weiss, who led her into the kitchen. “What do you see, Ruby?”

“Uhh, the kitchen?” She looked around, trying to see if anything had changed since the last time she had gone into the kitchen. It all seemed to be the exact same, though. “Yeah, I see the kitchen.”

“Ruby…” Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, then pointed directly at the sink. “ _ Now  _ what do you see?”

“Dirty dishes-” Oh. Uh oh. Gulping, Ruby slowly turned to face Weiss. It was like a scene from a horror movie, where she kept slowly, slowly turning, and soon a horrible monster would pop up and scare her. However, it wasn’t a horrible monster: it was just Weiss. Who just happened to sometimes be scarier than any on-screen monster could ever hope to be. “Uh, well…”

“ _ Well _ , I think someone in this house promised to do the dishes two days ago, and that someone has yet to do them. Instead, they have let them continue to pile up in the sink.” She leaned in close, whispering in Ruby’s ear. It would’ve been kinda hot if it wasn’t about something so… so not good. “And do you know who that person is?”

“Must’ve been Yang.” Ruby giggled awkwardly, but Weiss was not amused. She usually wasn’t. 

“ _ Yang  _ does not live here, because I did not marry Yang. I married you, and when I married you, I expected certain things of you. I expected you to pull your weight around the house, and I expected you to do the things I ask of you. Have I ever asked you to do something that you could not do?”

“Well, no…” Ugh, she  _ hated  _ doing the dishes. They were disgusting to touch, and just not a fun household activity. Not that cleaning was ever fun. What ever happened to just leaving things where they lie and letting things happen as they would? “But you’ve noticed the dishes here, right? How come you haven’t cleaned them?” That was the wrong thing to say.

Weiss seemed taken aback for a moment, but that didn’t last long. She looked angrier than Ruby had seen her in quite awhile. A blood vessel threatened to pop in her forehead, and Ruby instinctively stepped back. She had fought countless Grimm in her lifetime, but there was nothing, and she meant  _ nothing _ , scarier than an angry wife. 

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME, RUBY ROSE?! I ASKED YOU TO WASH THE DISHES TWO DAYS AGO, AND YOU’RE ASKING WHY  _ I  _ HAVEN’T DONE THEM?! I DON’T ASK YOU FOR FUN! I DON’T ASK YOU FOR THE SAKE OF MY HEALTH!” Ruby squealed and jumped back at the sudden shouting, having the instinct to duck and cover. “I ASK YOU BECAUSE I NEED YOU TO DO THEM, RUBY ROSE!”

“I’M SORRY!” Ruby cried, having to throw herself at the mercy of the court of Schnee. It was always the most serious when Weiss used her full name. She really should have just done the dishes, huh? Ugh, but they suck, though! Why couldn’t they just use paper plates instead? That would be so much easier. “I’ll do them, okay?! But, uh, I was really into that TV show, so maybe I can do them later?” Once again, that was the wrong thing to say.

“You… YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF GAME, RUBY ROSE?! YOU ARE ALREADY TWO DAYS LATE FOR THIS TASK THAT I ASKED FOR YOU TO DO, AND YOU WANT TO DELAY IT EVEN FURTHER? YOU THINK I AM A FOOL WHO THINKS YOU’LL ACTUALLY DO IT?! WHAT KIND OF A WIFE DO YOU TAKE ME FOR?!” Ruby was drenched in screaming, nearly being dropped down onto her knees from the torrents.

She ended up having to do the dishes under Weiss’s supervision, and it really wasn’t a surprise when she ended up sleeping on the couch that night. This was the fault of whoever had invented kitchenware…


	5. Sandwiches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sandwiches  
> Writer: SunoKasai

Being a mother comes with its challenges. That is something Ruby has accepted a long time ago. Specifically when their first child had been born. However, some challenges proved to be more difficult than others. Such as preparing meals for their family every single day. This is a challenge no one prepared Ruby - and Weiss, to be fair - for. 

Ruby always had an easy time. She eats almost anything, some things she likes more than others of course. But, place a plate in front of her and there is a 99% chance she will eat it. Weiss is more of a picky eater still, but not as bad as it could be. She still has a dislike for anything that is canned, no amount of salt being able to make it juuuuust fine. At the end of the day though, few things she absolutely refuses to eat. 

Their youngest, Zahri, takes after Ruby. Sweet tooth, eats everything you place in front of her. Literally. Don’t ask. And… no allergies. 

Not like their oldest. Nicholas. The poor boy had been ‘blessed’ with all kinds of thinks his body just wouldn’t dare to digest properly. Lactose, gluten - and by the brothers, Ruby had not known how many day to day things included these - all sorts of nuts, specific spices, fruits and vegetables, you name it. And as if that alone wouldn’t be enough, and Ruby really does not know how this could happen, Nicholas proved to be a picky eater as well.

Which makes her current task a difficult one.

“Ruby, could you please decide on what to get out of the fridge and close it  _ before _ everything else in there warms up?” Weiss says, sitting at their kitchen isle and reading what Ruby assumes is a report for SDC. 

“Easy for you to say.” Ruby grumbles, still looking over all the products stuffed in there. “You haven’t been assigned ‘Sandwich Master Maker’ in this household.” A task and a title Ruby holds with pride.

Rolling her eyes, not that Ruby could see with her back turned towards her wife, Weiss places the report aside and walks up behind Ruby, circling her arms around her waist. She rests her head on Ruby’s shoulder, front pressed to her back, having to stand on her toes to do so. “No, I haven’t been. But it’s not like today is the first time you are making us sandwiches, as evident by the title itself. So what could possibly be the difficulty today?”

Ruby mumbles something so quietly that Weiss doesn’t even understand it. “Come again?”   
  
“I promised Nick I would make him the best sandwich he has ever eaten...”

Her mouth turning into an ‘O’-shape, things finally click into place for Weiss. At least a little. “Ruby…”

“It may have slipped my mind for a second, okay?” Ruby defends herself right away, closing the door to the fridge. “And I realized the mistake the second his eyes lit up, knowing that I probably already have exhausted every possible combination he can and would want to eat.” With a heavy sigh, Ruby’s whole upper body leans forward until her head connects with the fridge, the movement taking Weiss with her.

It’s an odd sight, for sure. Ruby leaning against the device with Weiss still attached to her. 

“Ruby, he is 10. He knows that things are… a bit more special for him.” She places a reassuring kiss to Ruby’s shoulder. “And he knows that you are trying your best for him every single time. There is a reason why it was him who came up with your precious ‘Sandwich Master Maker’ title, you know?”

“I know, I know. I still want to make it special.” Ruby groans, not lifting herself away from the fridge. And maybe she whines a little when she feels the comforting weight of Weiss leaving her back.

“And the usual wouldn’t make it special?” She hears Weiss asking, not sure if it is amusement she hears in her wife’s voice.

“I mean… no? Something special would be something out of the ordinary. The usual is the definition of ‘the ordinary’, so by definition alone the usual is not something spec-” That’s all Ruby manages to get out before she feels something - or rather, someone - tackling into her from behind, pushing her more against the fridge. 

And before she can question it, she hears someone chuckling and rubbing their face into her lower back. Someone that is decidedly not Weiss.    
  
“Does that mean Mommy always makes me something special then? Because my stuff is not what you guys usually get?” Nicholas asks, excitement evident in his voice. Weiss just chuckles at it all. 

“Wait…” And Ruby? Her brain is working overtime right now no digest what has been said. 

“You always say that he got his smarts from me. Now it’s been used against you.” Weiss says a bit smugly, leaning onto the kitchen isle to watch her son showering her wife with all the physical affection he can manage. It’s a sight that has her melt, if she is honest.

By then, Ruby has successfully detached herself from the fridge. Instead of cuddling that thing she’d rather cuddle Nicholas. So that’s what she does, turning around and lifting him into her arms easily. 

“Okay, okay. I’ve been outsmarted.” She laughs, Nicholas giggling along as his arms wrap around Ruby’s neck as he hugs her tightly. 

But then, the laughter dies and Ruby’s gaze hones in on Weiss. Who recoils just slightly because that is never a good sign. Never, especially when Ruby also places Nicholas back down on his feet and he too turns to her with a grin.

“What?” She backs down even more, moving towards the living room.

“The both of us just had an agreement.” Ruby starts, grin betraying her serious voice, and Nicholas nods along excitedly. “That being… that Mom always treats us special then because normal won’t do for her. So she is to be rewarded… with lots of hugs!”

Two bodies, one big and one small, then crash into Weiss’ retreating form and if it weren’t for Ruby’s fast reflexes, Weiss would have collided with the floor rather painfully. Now it’s Ruby on the bottom, with Weiss and Nicholas safely in her arms, all three of them laughing. 

“What’s all this noise abou- Hey!” Still chuckling, Ruby looks to the side, only to see her 8-year old daughter standing in the door to the hallway, pouting adorably. “Why do you have a cuddle pile without me?!” 

And that’s the last warning any of them get before Zahri crashes into them, the promise of sandwiches long forgotten. 


	6. Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Forever  
> Writer: Akiruo02

Breathe. Just breathe. Ruby told herself as she walked through the door to her and Weiss’ house. She’d been waiting for this day for weeks now. It didn’t help that she decided to custom order the ring, granted she could have made it herself but she didn’t want to risk Weiss finding it when it’s half done. Nope, she needed this perfect for once. This is for Weiss after all. The most amazing woman she had ever met in her life. So it had to be perfect.

Heading to the living room, she finds Weiss sitting on the coach with her laptop. Back on one of the armrests, device on her lap and she's wearing her reading glasses. Ruby smiles as she slowly approaches her.   


“I’m home” Ruby announces.  
  
“Welcome back” Weiss says as she closes her computer and gently removes her reading glasses. “Did you get what you ordered?”  
  
Ruby nods as she sits beside her. “Yap!”  
  
“Was it well made?”

“It is, and I think you’ll really like it”  
  
Weiss looks at her, one eyebrow raised. “Ruby, I don’t play video games.” she says as she moves closer to Ruby. Ruby turns to Weiss wrapping her wraps around her as she sinks in the embrace.

“I know you don’t Weiss.” Ruby leans closer resting her chin on Weiss’ shoulder. “But still think you’ll like it.” Weiss hums then sighs.

“Alright, let me see it.”   


Ruby freezes. She didn’t expect Weiss to give in that fast. She had expected Weiss to argue for a bit about it. Not ask to see it immediately. 

Ruby looks at Weiss. “Are you sure you want to see it now?”

Weiss nods firmly. “You’ve been excited about this ever since you started talking to Yang about it”

Ruby winces. Of course Weiss had overheard her and Yang talking about it. She was sure  didn’t notice, apparently she was wrong. “You heard that huh.”

“Yang was and is loud as ever.”

“True...”

Weiss shifts a bit in Ruby’s arms and turns to look at her. “Stop stalling and let me see it.”   


Ruby smiles at her. Those bright blue eyes determined to see what Ruby ordered. “Alright alright. Let me get it out of my pocket then”

“In your pocket?” She asks with a bit of confusion in her tone. “How did you fit a controller in your pocket?”

Ruby pulls away from Weiss. She stands and reaches in one of her pockets and pulls out a small red box before kneeling in front of Weiss. Weiss looks confused for a bit before audibly gasping.

“Ruby...” she whispers.

“Weiss,” Ruby starts. “I can't give you everything, but I’ll sure try” she opens the box in front of her and holds it up to Weiss. A beautifully carved silver band resting in it. Simple, but meaningful. “Will you allow me to spend the rest of my life with you? Now and Forever?”  
  
Weiss looks at the ring, tears in her eyes as she holds a sob back. Hands covering her mouth as she nods.

“Yes.”


	7. Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Evening  
> Title: Evening Autumn Blossoms  
> Writer: redlerred7  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlerred7/
> 
> Summary:
> 
> Weiss takes Ruby to Forever Fall for a flower-viewing date, and is reminded how much she loves Ruby. Written for the Whiterose Free-for-All event organized by the Whiterose Discord.
> 
> A/N:
> 
> This is my first time writing for an event like this. Enjoy if you can!

**_Several minutes before sunset…_ **

As its name implied, the Forest of Forever Fall was perpetually in a state of autumn. Red leaves fell from the canopy like a drizzle, only to be swept away by the wind. Though despite its name, there were still clear changes in the forest between seasons—like how summers were windier and prone to forest fires, autumns had frequent rain showers and occasional floods, and winters were still and empty. And as for spring…

A blur of red shot out of the treeline and into a clearing, a wave of rustling leaves and petals trailing behind it. The blur skidded to a stop at the edge of the cliff, revealing herself to be a woman with a red hooded cloak. She stood and grinned at the woman in white who was waiting for her.

"Hi," Ruby said cutely.

"Hey," Weiss replied, smiling in return.

Weiss looked back to the treeline, noting how the autumn blossoms were already in full bloom. And given how rose-like their petals were, Ruby looked right in her element among them. If it wasn't for the obvious reference to her surname of Rose—and the fact that there weren't any forever fall trees on Patch—Weiss could almost convince herself that Ruby's motif was that of autumn blossoms instead of roses. She couldn't be sure, though. She'd have to ask at some point that night.

"How'd your perimeter sweep fare?" Weiss asked, shelving her musings.

Ruby gave a dramatic show of saluting and spoke with an exaggeratedly stiff voice. "The surrounding mile and a half of forest is clear of creatures of Grimm, Ma'am!" She managed to keep a straight face, but with the way she twitched, it was clear she was barely holding back laughter.

Weiss snorted. "Dolt," she muttered playfully as she pulled Ruby's hood over her eyes. "Lay the picnic blanket on the grass over there. I'll take care of the food."

Ruby broke into giggles and they shared a laugh for a moment, after which, they got to work setting up their little picnic date. In less than five minutes, they were cuddled up on a white and red checkered pattern blanket, with a basket-full of sandwiches sitting between their legs.

"So, why'd you bring us here?" Ruby asked as she rubbed her cheek on Weiss' shoulder. "I know this place is beautiful and romantic and all, but we've had our fair share of missions around these parts. You always seemed so focused on taking me to unique places during our anniversaries. What broke the pattern?"

Weiss nibbled her sandwich as she watched the sun slowly approach the horizon. "Well… I realized a few weeks ago how we've never been to Forever Fall during the spring. I figured you'd enjoy seeing the autumn blossoms in bloom."

"Oh." Ruby shrugged. "Fair enough. I do like the view. And being with you is all I can ask for anyway."

Weiss detected the barest hint of disappointment in Ruby's voice—disappointment that was quickly smothered by her natural inclination to look at the positives in things. Oh such a gem of a woman. What did Weiss do to ever deserve her?

Weiss smiled knowingly as she put a hand atop Ruby's head, running her fingers through the redhead's hair. "You'll find that the autumn blossoms aren't just wannabe roses in a forest already saturated with reds and pinks. Just wait until the sun comes down. Then you'll see."

Ruby nodded and they continued eating sandwiches in appreciable silence for the next few minutes. In that time, the setting sun bathed the world in yellows, oranges, and reds, before eventually disappearing behind the edge of the world. Only a dim twilight was left in its wake.

"Oh, wow," Ruby breathed.

The autumn blossoms slowly started glowing, appearing from their vantage point as a wave of light sweeping over the forest. In just a few short seconds, the sea of trees was alight with the soft, red and pink glow of autumn blossoms.

"For just a few days in a year, and for only an hour during those days, autumn blossoms light up like this," Weiss explained airily. "Botanists theorize that it has something to do with the dust-rich soil of this forest, but they can't seem to agree on why it only happens in the hour after sunset."

Ruby reached out and grabbed a glowing autumn blossom drifting in the wind. "How can this be the first time I'm hearing about this?" she asked, watching the petals in her hand dissolve into specks of light. "We've been traveling the world for how many years now but I somehow never knew we had something this  _ beautiful _ in my home kingdom until now…"

Weiss gently put her own hand over Ruby's. "To be fair, we never really got to see much of Vale before we went off to save the world. And once that was over with, we were all too busy with clean-up and dealing with the fallout. You can be forgiven for not knowing about this."

They shared meaningful looks for a moment before Weiss choked back a laugh.

"What's so funny?"

With the hand already on Ruby's head, she brushed off multiple autumn blossoms that had fallen into Ruby's hair. "I really shouldn't laugh because I probably have some in my hair too, but it was just really funny seeing you covered in flowers like that. You looked kind of like those photos of you when you were younger."

Ruby pouted. "Hey, I wasn't used to my semblance back then, okay? Sometimes roses just… happened…"

Weiss patted her shoulder reassuringly. "Peace, Ruby. I know. It's just cute is all."

Ruby continued pouting as she averted her eyes. After a second, a handful of rose petals puffed into existence around her, falling neatly atop her head. She looked to Weiss expectantly.

This earned another choked-back laugh. "Dolt," Weiss said, once again putting up Ruby's hood and pulling it over her eyes. "You don't need to put flowers in your hair to be cute. You're plenty cute all on your own."

Ruby pushed her hood back and grinned, rubbing her cheek against Weiss'. "But those roses were all on my own too. I  _ made _ them."

Weiss smiled ruefully as she returned Ruby's affectionate nuzzling. "You know what I meant."

"Hehe. I did," Ruby conceded.

Before they could cuddle any further, a blood curdling howl pierced the night. They both snapped into combat mode, jumping to their feet and whipping out their weapons.

"Alpha beowolf, anywhere between two and three miles away," Ruby said, cycling Crescent Rose's bolt and chambering a round. "Couldn't make out the direction."

Two additional howls came in quick succession, followed by a cacophony of sound from all directions.

"Two more alphas, both one mile away, eleven and five o'clock. We're surrounded and they're closing in quickly."

Weiss grimaced as she remembered how grimm supposedly went berserk whenever the forest started glowing. She really shouldn't have disregarded that tidbit of information just because they were both huntresses. "This was part of the reason why autumn blossom viewings aren't common in Vale," she muttered, stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground next to the picnic blanket, encasing the entire cliff in a protective block of ice. 

"Whoo boy, that's a lot of them," Ruby said with an impressed whistle as she scanned the trees below them through her rifle's optic.

As Ruby began sniping, to thin out the horde before they climbed into stabbing distance, Weiss began conjuring ice-summons of grimm to fight them. She internally debated with herself whether it was worth the monumental effort it took to create and maintain a goliath summon.

She was given no chance to agonize over the decision, as a beowolf newborn charged out of the treeline, straight into the raised sword of her favorite arma-gigas summon. The maskless wolf grimm, along the tide of grimm that followed, impaled themselves into the ready and waiting pointy bits of her summons—like cavalry charging into a row of spikes.

"They're in melee range!" Weiss announced as she began directing her summons to fight back the horde.

"Cover me!" Ruby shouted in reply, fully extending Crescent Rose into scythe form and disappearing into a formless storm of rose petals.

Weiss swung her sword in the tempo of a song that only she could hear, as if she was a conductor and the chaos of battle was her orchestra. Her summons were instruments, their sound was that of shattering bone and tearing flesh, and the pained screams of the grimm was her applause. Every motion and verse flowed into the next in perfect harmony, from the beat of her beringers' fists, to the staccato of stings from her swarm of lancer wasps. From the rolling drums of her boarbatusks' tackles, to the sweeping chords sung by her arma-gigas' blade with every slash.

And then there was Ruby, whose gunshots and yells were the driving force of their song. Every sound she made was punctuated by the dying gasp of a creature of grimm, like a harbinger of death and destruction. Note after note, bullet after bullet, she was unrelenting in her melody.

For a moment, Weiss found herself lost in the heat of battle, transfixed by the brief flashes of a red hood—flashes that lasted for only a split second before a beowolf was bisected from shoulder to hip, or an ursa's skull was caved in. Whenever Weiss saw a glimpse of her face, the music would stop, time would slow down, and the whole world would fade away, leaving only…

The soft glow of evening autumn blossoms. The maelstrom of red leaves and rose petals. The stain of blood and violence on her person. Somehow, in Weiss' eyes, it all made Ruby Rose the most inexplicably…

Ruby blasted the snout off a beowolf at point blank.

—supernaturally…

Ruby hamstrung an ursa, then cut its head off

—terrifyingly…

Ruby carved a jagged cut across a King Taijitu's entire body, splitting it open like a torn burrito.

_ —beautiful _ woman in the world!

_ What on Remnant  _ did Weiss do to deserve her!?

At this point, Weiss' orchestra of violence went into a crescendo, even more chaos erupting as her summons' frenzy equaled that of the grimm.

* * *

Several minutes later, they quelled the grimm's immediate number, the surviving alphas deciding to cut their losses and pull their packs away. That left Weiss and Ruby to take inventory and survey the battlefield.

Weiss dismissed the block of ice she conjured to preserve their picnic location, but had already lost her appetite when she noticed the piles of grimm corpses surrounding them. It would take hours before all of them dissolved into smoke.

In that same vein, the evening twilight was fading and the light of the shattered moon rose in the sky. As a result, the autumn blossoms' glow started to dull, until they were left unlit once again.

"Well,  _ this _ is somewhat disappointing," Weiss muttered as she picked up their picnic basket, lamenting at how cold the sandwiches had gotten. "Went through the effort of finding the perfect spot for a flower-viewing, and yet we ended up spending most of it slaying monsters."

Ruby giggled as she dusted off and folded up the picnic blanket. "You say that like you don't enjoy it too."

Weiss scowled and pursed her lips. "I  _ do _ enjoy it…"

Ruby leaned close, raising the blanket offeringly. "Buuut…?"

With a scowl, Weiss snatched the folded blanket and stuffed it into the basket. "Nothing," she answered stiffly, turning her back to Ruby. "I just really wanted to do something different today."

"Oh? Does that mean you don't want to do our usual routine after a day of hunting?"

She flinched. Without even turning back around, she could tell Ruby had a smug grin on her face. Well, Weiss wasn't about to just stand there and take it. With a shake of her head and a huff, she started south, towards the closest landing zone.

"H-hey, wait! It was just a joke!" Ruby rushed past and stopped in front of Weiss. "Don't be mad. I—"

Weiss cut her off with a full-lipped kiss that lasted for a few seconds. "I'm not mad, Ruby," she whispered as they pulled away. "I'm just really frustrated, and your joke did nothing to help alleviate that frustration." She averted her eyes. "If you catch my meaning…"

"Oh." Ruby blinked.  _ "OH." _

Weiss snorted as she grabbed Ruby's hand and pulled her along. "Come on. There's a hotel room in uptown Vale that's waiting for us. I'm just glad I booked for the whole twenty four hours today instead of just tonight. I'd hate to be turned away just because we're early."

Ruby giggled. "That's so like you, having contingency plans, even for stuff like this."

"Yeah. Contingency…"

They walked with hands intertwined for a minute, with only the sound of their boots treading on crisp leaves breaking the silence.

"Ruby?" Weiss eventually said, her voice sounding and feeling small.

"Yes, Weiss?"

"You know I love you, right?"

Ruby chuckled. "Well, of course I do. I love you too."

Weiss squeezed her hand. "And you also know that I think you're the most inexplicably, supernaturally, terrifyingly beautiful woman in the world, right?"

Ruby squeezed back. "I… er… It hasn't gotten any less embarrassing than the first time you said it, but yeah…"

Weiss felt a smile tug at her lips. "Good. So don't feel guilty about me spoiling you rotten later." Although she once again couldn't see Ruby's face, she could tell this had earned a blush.

"I—Ah— Er… Okay…"

Weiss fought back a laugh.

Okay, between that flustered response, what she planned to do in the hotel room later, and that dazzled face Ruby had made upon seeing the autumn blossoms glow for the first time, Weiss was fairly satisfied with this anniversary date. Now she was free to plan for next year's anniversary date.

But she could do that later.  _ After _ Ruby's spoiling session.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ending A/N:
> 
> No, the autumn blossoms are not related to World of Warcraft, and yes, they're loosely based on cherry blossoms.


	8. Lullaby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lullaby  
> Writer: Akiruo02

Weiss tosses and turns as she tries to find a comfortable position to sleep. The sleeping bag she’s in feels a little too big for her liking now. Weiss Schnee hates sleeping alone. It doesn’t help that she is currently in a tent in the middle of the desert with sand in her socks.

She should have fought to have the same shift as Ruby. Then maybe she wouldn’t be struggling to fall asleep while their leader is out on watch. She doesn’t know how long it has been since she tried and failed to fall asleep before she heads out for her shift. She tosses and turns again. 

Weiss sighs as she turns to face the roof of the tent. She doesn’t know how long she has been trying to sleep now. All she could hear was silence and the occasional wind passing through. She doesn’t know how long she’d been staring at the roof when she hears someone enter her tent. Moving quickly she reaches for Myternester beside her.

“Calm down Weiss it’s just me.” Ruby says as she holds both her hands in front of her so that Weiss can see she’s unarmed.

Weiss sighs in relief and places Mystenester down. “Ruby, should have said something first before entering.”

“It’s my tent too Weiss” Ruby says as she places down Crescent Rose. “Sorry, did I wake you up?

Weiss shakes her head. “No, I was already awake”

“Oh” Ruby takes off her cloak and folds it neatly before placing it next to Crescent Rose. “can’t sleep again huh?”

“Yes.” Weiss turns to look at Ruby as she gets in the sleeping bag.

“Come here” Ruby says as she reaches for Weiss. Weiss moves closer and rests her head on Ruby’s chest. She soon feels Ruby’s arms wrap around her body. “Better?”

“Much.” She says as she listens to Ruby’s gentle heartbeat. She moves closer to Ruby. “How was it?”  
  
“Uneventful.” Ruby answers. “Coco kept joking about ghosts.”

“And you believed her or was it Oscar who believed her.”

“None of us believed her” She answers as Weiss starts to yawn. “You need to sleep”  
  
“Yes, yes I do” Weiss admits.

Ruby yawns and nods. “Good night Weiss.”

“Good night Ruby.” Weiss doesn’t know why, but hearing Ruby’s heartbeat combined with her snores always calms her down making her fall asleep easier than the past few hours. It's the perfect lullaby for her, plus she gets to cuddle with Ruby.


	9. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Death  
> Writer: DorkSeverus04

Ruby blushed. Weiss had asked her out, and took her towards a hilltop where they could see most of Atlas. The brunette enjoyed the scenery and rested her head onto the ex-heiress’ shoulder.

“I love you, Ruby.” Weiss whispered, as if she were unsure whether Ruby fell asleep or not.

“Love you too, Weiss.” Ruby smiled as she reached for Weiss’ hand.

They enjoyed the silence for a moment longer until Ruby was shoved off of Weiss’ side. 

“Ow! Ugh… if you wanted me to move, you could’ve said… so…” Ruby’s eyes widened as she saw the scene before her. Penny was there. Her weapon, Floating Array, pierced through Weiss as if she were a puppet. “WEISS!” 

“Stay back, dolt!” Weiss coughed as she glared at Penny. “She’s after you!” Unfortunately for the ex-heiress, the second Penny retracted her weapons, Weiss fell to her knees.

“Weiss!” Ruby knelt by her side in seconds, catching her before she hit the ground, and stared at her hand as it was soaked in her partner’s blood. The young leader whimpered as she looked up at her robotic friend. “Penny… Don’t do this. Please.” She begged, holding Weiss close while pressing a hand to her wound.

“I am sorry, Friend Ruby. However, I must destroy you.” Penny stated coldly.

“Over my dead body!” Weiss grunted, continuing to glare at the robot.

“Then so be it. Goodbye, Weiss Schnee.” Penny raised her arm as Weiss shoved Ruby aside. 

“I love you, Ruby.” Weiss gave a small smile towards her partner, then let out a cry of pain as she was impaled once again. Using the last of her strength, she summoned her knight and sliced Penny in two.

“NO!”

=-=

“NO!” Ruby gasped as she sat up from her bed, tears falling from her eyes. 

Weiss immediately sat up and grabbed her weapon, looking around. “Ruby! What’s wrong?!” She quickly moved towards Ruby’s side and looked for any threats, but didn’t see any. Confused, she looked towards her partner to ask again. “Ru--”

Ruby lunged herself into Weiss’ arms, crying onto her shoulder. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…” She whimpered as she clutched onto Weiss’ shirt tightly.

“Ruby?” Weiss frowned and ran a hand through her hair while pulling her closer. “What happened…?” She whispered.

“N-Nothing, I-I just… I’m sorry…” Ruby looked up at Weiss tearfully and pressed her lips against the ex-heiress.

Weiss’ eyes widened and only deepened the kiss, seeing as it calmed Ruby down some. “Feeling better?”

Ruby didn’t trust her voice and nodded, leaning onto Weiss once again. There was no way that she was going to let a dream like that come true. Not on her watch.


	10. Are These Snails?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Snails  
> Writer: Winter1112

"What's this?" Ruby asks Weiss as calmly as she can manage. After getting married, she and Weiss decided it would be a good idea to wait until after graduation to take their honeymoon. Granted, they didn't really need to wait long, seeing as the event was only a month later, but to the Reaper, it still seemed like forever.

Weiss kept harping on her to use her emotional maturity. That stopped working even for her by the third week, when they both snapped and took a quick seventy two hour trip to Patch. They are most definitely banned from the beach on the opposite side of the island from where her parents live, but it was so so so worth every last scream she got out of Weiss.

"Ruby, I told you it's a delicacy called escargot." Weiss repeats, getting her attention back from the memory of everything they did on the beach before barely avoiding getting arrested. 

"It's snails." Ruby deadpans as she gently pokes at one with her forefinger. "Not moving snails."

"Well of course they aren't moving, my dolt." The white wolf faunus scoffs as she uses some kind of weird looking fork to pick one up. "They don't taste as good when they're alive." She adds before prying the poor snail out of its shell and eating it.

"You're actually eating them?!" Ruby stares at her beautiful wife as they sit at a rather beautiful restaurant in downtown Mistral. She watches in growing horror as Weiss eats a second one before smiling.

"Try one, they are quite tasty." Weiss informs her as she pries a third loose from their little former shell home and offers it to her.

Ruby screams as she scrambles up and away while pointing. "You just evicted that poor thing from its little shell home!"

"Ruby, it's dead. I don't think it cares anymore. Now stop being ridiculous and use your emotional maturity." Weiss chides her before eating the offered snail herself with a smile. 

"You just ate it! What did he ever do to you?!"

Weiss blinks before she groans. She's gotten so used to Ruby and her diet that she never once realized that this was violating one of her wife's most important rules.

Except for chicken, Ruby is a vegetarian. She won't even eat fish, considering them to be a fellow living being. Even her mother, a rabbit faunus like Ruby, has no idea why she stopped eating meat. The Reaper just one day came home from school and declared she was never eating meat again.

Although there was an incident involving a chicken when she was twelve, but mother and daughter both never speak of it.

But Ruby is in a full blown panic attack now, the ever present brown bag to her mouth. That seems to be a standard issue item for team RWBY, seeing as how often they all need it.

"Ok, how about a lovely chicken breast salad, Ruby?" Weiss asks quickly as she motions to a server to take the plates away. "Chicken is yummy, right?" She asks placatingly, trying to coax her new wife back to the table.

Ruby nods as she keeps using the paper bag, her breathing beginning to settle back to normal as the server rushes the plates away, a waitress rushing up to check on them.

"Excellent. Ma'am, two chicken breast salads, one with vinaigrette dressing the other with ranch." Weiss orders quickly. "Extra ranch and croutons as well."

"Would you like me to see if the manager will comp the escargot?" She asks.

"No! We'll take them to go." Ruby declares as she sits down. "They deserve a proper burial."

"But-" the waitress begins, just to get cut off by the wolf faunus.

"My wife is correct. Make sure they're ready for us to take at the end of our meal, understood?" Weiss's verbal emphasis is almost visible in the air, and the young waitress is fortunately intelligent enough to read between the lines. With a nod, she rushes off before the suddenly frightening woman decides to do something more drastic like rip her heart out of her chest, then show it to her while it was still beating.

"Thanks Snowflake, I knew you would understand."

"No, forgive me my dolt. I completely forgot to curb my carnivorous nature unless I am wandering around." The white haired wolf replies. "I simply wanted you to try something new."

Ruby smiles as she takes Weiss's hand and kisses it. "You still broke rule three." She points out. "Thus, you must now pay the penalty."

"Well short of more horizontal gymnastics which I am already expecting more of from you tonight, what is my penalty?" Her wife asks with a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"I brought the thing. And you will wear the thing tonight." The rabbit faunus informs her with a smirk.

Weiss turns pale. "May I shave my head instead?" She asks nervously. "Perhaps do the other thing you enjoy?!"

"Nope. You broke a rule, and that's your punishment." Her beloved torturer in the guise of her wife replies firmly, despite a grin on her face.

"I'll let you even shine my head?" Weiss offers weakly. 

"I even adjusted it perfectly for you. You're going to look amazing!" Ruby cheers as their food arrives. "Time to eat!"

Weiss visibly wilts as she takes up her salad fork. In the four years she and Ruby have been best friends, and the three and a half years they have been together together, she knew she was dating a nerd. But not just any nerd, but a nerd who knows her way around a forge. But especially a nerd who could make a certain outfit from scratch from Return of the Jedi, and make Weiss look good in it.

And now that she's filled out a bit more? The wolf faunus has to admit that she does in fact look fantastic in it, but she really wishes she could at least wear panties. It's entirely too breezy even for her tastes. But, it makes Ruby happy, and Ruby does a great deal for her as well, so she cannot argue. Besides, the collar she has to wear with it is absolutely cute, so it does make it worth it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Ruby…

The rabbit Faunus slowly opens her eyes as she looks around sniffing. She isn't in the dorm room, or in the small apartment she and Weiss rented in Vale during fourth year. So where is she?

Ruuubbbyyy…

"Ok, that's not creepy…" She mutters as she tries to stand up but can't. Looking around, she notices that she's held down by… shells?!

Why Ruby?

"Why what?!" She calls out in a near panic as she struggles to free herself. "Look, if this is about those cookies, I swear Weiss told me to eat them!"

Why did you let her eat us?

"Wait, what?! I didn't let anyone eat anyone! I swear!" She shrieks as she continues to struggle, even her ears scissoring the air desperately as if it would help, which it doesn't. Then she sees them: Two long eye stalks moving to look her in the eyes.

Why did you let her eat me, Ruby? Don't you find all life except for those evil chickens sacred?

"AHHHHHHHHHH!" The Reaper shrieks before she stops struggling. Her muscles go rigid, her breath catches in her throat, even her hair goes stiff as her instincts freeze her in place.

My home is empty, Ruby. My snail wife is a widow now, and my little snail children will not have me in their lives. 

"I'm sorry! I promise it won't happen again!" She screams out as she unfreezes, her struggling beginning anew. "I gave you a proper burial! I swear I did! I even gave you all a nice prayer!"

Not enough! The snail declares as it uses one eye stalk to pick her up effortlessly with one of those funny looking forks. "May your faunus wife mourn you like my snail wife will mourn me!

Ruby can only continue to scream as she's guided towards a mouth that had to have come out of one of those crappy horror movies Blake adores. Rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth begin to spin in a circle as she gets closer and closer. She can smell his slimy breath as he begins to close his mouth, those same teeth barely an inch from her eyes…

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Let me get this straight, Ruby had a nightmare about being eaten by a snail, and now she won't let you out of that thing you normally only wear for her birthday and special occasions?" Blake asks incredulously as she herself sits on a beach on Menagerie. She returned home after graduation to spend some time with Ilia and her parents, and knew deep down it's been entirely too quiet.

She hasn't needed her paper bag in two weeks, it has to be some kind of record.

"Correct." Weiss replies with a sigh. "Fortunately, Ruby did get the top perfect now, so it's not digging into my breasts or chest. But it's the principal of the dilemma I found myself in. I even have to admit it wasn't that bad to sleep in last night either."

"Weiss, you brought it on yourself. You know how Ruby is when it comes to meat of any kind except chicken." Blake points out while spotting Ilia and waves her over, the chameleon faunus carrying two fruity looking drinks complete with those adorable umbrellas she loves to collect. "To quote Yang: You have to suck it up, princess buttercup."

Weiss groans. "Can we not talk about her right now? Wait, has she been found yet?"

"Not yet." The panther replies before kissing her own girlfriend as thanks for her drink. "I just put down eight months on Roman's betting pool." She adds as Ilia winks at her before sitting on a cabana chair next to her.

"Ruby put herself down for six months, I went with a year." Weiss replies as a smashing sound is heard in the background. "As always, Pyrrha already lost."

"Weiss, what's that sound?" Blake asks as she rises in her seat, her instincts already on alert.

"Oh that? Well apparently, snails are no longer on the banned list of meats. I however must still deal with a metal bra for the next week regardless." The wolf faunus woman replies. "Ruby is running up my credit card buying up every snail she can find. I don't think I need to tell you what she's doing with them after that. But, I still need to think of a way to get bacon exempted. I'm desperately in need of some, and you aren't here to slip me a few strips from your plate."

"You knew she was a vegetarian when you married her, wolfette." Blake giggles as she and Ilia both wave to her parents to get their attention next. "Listen, I have to go. Try not to get arrested, please? I'm a bit too far away to bail you out."

"Tell that to my favorite bunny. I love you kitten, and my love to Ilia and your parents."

"Love you too, Weiss." She replies before hanging up and laughing hysterically.

"What's so funny, Blake?" Kali Belladonna asks as she approaches her daughter, Ghira in tow and carrying a cooler, umbrella, and a small portable grill. 

"Oh wait until you hear this." Blake replies with a grin at the expense of her teammate. She then explains everything that happened, along with the penalty Weiss is now having to deal with.

"Blake, are you certain you wish to remain a team with those two young women?" Ghira asks with concern. 

"Dad, this is just another day in the life of team RWBY." She replies as she keeps smiling. "We've all done much, much, much worse than this."

Kali smiles knowingly. "So the apple didn't fall far from the tree, I take it?"

"No, no it didn't." Blake agrees as Ghira groans at the memories of his and Kali's own time at Beacon, along with all the misadventures Summer Rose and her own team got them into. "And I honestly can't wait to see what happens next!"

"That's my girl!" Kali cheers as she hugs her daughter, all while also remembering her adventures with Summer much more fondly than her husband. Life had never been boring with the rabbit faunus woman around, and obviously the apple didn't just fall far from the tree…

It hit every single branch on the way down!


	11. Diorite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Diorite  
> Writer: HopeOfMorning910  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeOfMorning910
> 
> No matter how much you care for someone, sometimes you can still miss the important things. But other times, all it takes is a conversation sparked by a rock that looks like petrified bird poop to realize something is wrong and make the decision to do whatever it takes to make things better.
> 
> (A/N: I was told that there was no way diorite could be made into a heartwarming story...this is what came out of such an attempt.)
> 
> Diorite Reference Image:  
> https://geologyscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Diorite-2.jpg

_ Why are we here? _ Ruby wondered for the tenth time since walking into Backyards & Balconies, a gardening and landscaping store located on the outskirts of Vale that prided itself on having anything a person might need, regardless of whether they wanted a simple herb garden on their balcony or a meticulously planned out backyard. 

In any case, when Weiss suddenly announced that morning that she wanted to go out, this wasn’t quite what Ruby was expecting.

“Ruby, are you paying attention?”

Ruby blinked and glanced sheepishly at the beautiful woman beside her. “Umm...yes?”

Weiss narrowed her icy blue eyes and flicked a strand of her platinum blonde hair out of her face. “Alright. Then what did I just say?”

Ruby’s gaze darted around frantically before landing on the paving stone samples in front of them. “Uhh, you wanted to know whether I liked the salt and pepper rock better or the bird poop rock?” And something about making walkways?

_ “What?  _ Eww—no! That’s not—they’ve got names! Granite and diorite!”

“Oh.” Ruby’s brow furrowed. “But why are both of them listed as ‘granite’?”

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Because it simplifies conversations with customers who can’t tell the difference.”

Ruby decided not to ask the obvious question of why Weiss would need to know the difference. Was this why Weiss had spent most of the previous evening on her laptop in her office instead of cuddling with Ruby on the couch? Granted, Ruby had already been half asleep the moment she sat down, but she still could have used some cuddles. It had been a long week, and she missed Weiss. Ruby had been in and out, busy mentoring a new batch of huntsmen and huntresses, while Weiss had spent long hours at the local branch of her father’s company. 

When they first graduated from Beacon, Weiss’s father had mostly left Weiss alone, figuring she’d get over this foolish notion of huntressing sooner or later. However, when team RWBY started becoming well known thanks to their incredible skills and success, he began putting more and more pressure on Weiss to fall in line, intending to take advantage of her popularity to boost the company’s image. These days Weiss spent more time paper pushing and arguing with corrupt business people than she did huntressing. She and Ruby were able to go on hunting jobs together maybe once every two or three months, and only if they were lucky.

“So, uh, remind me why we’re looking at rocks?”

“‘Stone’, Ruby. Once a rock has been processed for human use, it’s usually referred to as ‘stone’. And we’re here because our backyard is empty and boring.”

It was? But it had that fancy gazebo thingy Weiss liked. And the grass was nice and green. And there was even a tree for shade.

Ruby looked at the stone samples in front of her and still couldn’t see them as anything more than petrified, streaky white-and-black bird droppings. The salt and pepper sample was minimally better, but it still wasn’t great.

“Ruby, take this seriously!”

“Alright, alright! I guess if you really want it, the bird poop rock isn’t  _ that _ bad. It would save time and effort on cleaning; I mean, if a bird actually poops on it, you wouldn’t even be able to tell unless you were standing right there next to it…”

Ruby glanced up and cringed. The look Weiss was giving her could have stripped paint.

Then Weiss’s shoulders sagged, and her expression turned brittle, sending a jolt of alarm through Ruby. “You know, what? Fine. Never mind. This was a waste of time.” 

Weiss turned and stalked away, leaving Ruby simultaneously confused yet also aware that something was very, very wrong.

“Weiss, wait.” 

Ruby hurried after her, her mind spinning furiously to figure out what was going on. Okay, so maybe mentioning “bird poop” so many times hadn’t been the most tactful thing in the world, but that didn’t seem enough to warrant this kind of reaction. She reached out to touch Weiss’s shoulder, but Weiss flinched away.

Ruby’s heart plummeted. She pulled her hand back instantly, her fingers curling into her palm. As much as Ruby wanted to touch and comfort Weiss when she was upset like this, she would never force that comfort on her if she didn’t want it.

Weiss continued to face away, her shoulders tense and her back stiff.

The silence grew heavier with each passing second until Ruby could take it no longer.

“Weiss? Talk to me, please. What’s wrong?”

Weiss crossed her arms tightly. “You’re not taking this seriously,” she bit out.

Taking what seriously? Landscaping? 

All at once, Ruby suddenly remembered just how happy Weiss had been after they had set up the gazebo in the backyard three weeks after moving into their new place. It was a simple thing that had taken them a couple of days to put together, but Ruby would never forget the look on Weiss’s face after they nailed the last shingle in place. At first she thought that Weiss was just proud of a job well done, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Slowly, and with a calmness that belied her rapid pulse and quivering insides, Ruby stepped forward and picked up the little sample booklet that showed all the other types of stone the store could order but didn’t necessarily have in stock. She flipped through it blindly just to give her hands something to do. She always thought better when her hands were moving.

Finally, Ruby took a deep breath and said, “No, I guess I’m not—taking this seriously, I mean. Because it’s just not important to me. It’s just a yard. I mean, it’s already got what we need for picnics and stuff. Grass and a tree if we want the real picnic experience, and the gazebo when we don’t feel like sprawling out on the ground.”

“But it’s our new home.” Weiss’s voice was harsh and almost accusing.  _ You should care, _ was the unspoken implication.

Ruby drummed her fingers against the book in her hands. “It is...but it isn’t. To me” —Ruby paused to try to find the right words— “...home isn’t about the yard or even the house. It’s about...it’s about the people. And the memories. The building, the yard...they’re just things. They’re just not important to me.  _ You’re _ what’s important.”

Ruby put the book down and turned to the woman she loved more than anything else in the world. She swallowed and gestured towards Weiss’s left hand. 

Weiss’s eyes followed the movement, and when she realized what Ruby was gesturing to, she lifted her hand and touched the promise ring she never failed to wear on her ring finger. Ruby had looked everywhere for the perfect aquamarine that would match Weiss’s eyes.

“I got what I wanted. I got you. I don’t even know how to put into words how happy you made me when you accepted that ring. I don’t care about anything else.” 

The ring was Ruby’s promise to Weiss that she would always love her even when her huntressing jobs took her away for days or weeks at a time. And one day when they were both ready, Ruby hoped to upgrade it to an engagement ring.

Ruby gripped the chain around her neck where her own ring rested so that it wouldn’t get dirty or damaged when she was messing around in her workshop or when she was out on a hunt. Weiss had gotten it for her the very next day after Ruby had given Weiss hers.

“I mean, getting to move in with you was great! And being able to live with you is even better.” She blinked. “Well, not that we weren’t living together before” —they had shared a house with Yang and Blake before the two moved to Menagerie— “but it feels different now, and I really like it.”

Ruby ruffled the back of her head. “And our place is nice, but to be honest, I could live in a goat hut somewhere and still be happy as long as I was with you.”

“Oh Dust, no,” Weiss said with a half-hearted snort.

Ruby grinned, more than willing to capitalize on Weiss’s lifting mood. “Why not? I think it’d be fun. Nice and cozy. I’d even change out the straw bedding every night, just for you.”

“We did that before, remember? On that one Beowolf hunt. It was  _ horrible. _ The straw kept poking through my clothes all night, and it took well over half an hour to comb the stuff out of my hair the next morning.” Yet despite her complaints, Weiss’s body language seemed to soften at the memory.

Ruby took half a step closer. “Hey. Can I hug you?”

“It’s  _ ‘may _ I hug you?’” Weiss said automatically.

She seemed to struggle for a moment. Then she bit her lip and gave a jerky nod.

Relief washed through Ruby’s entire body, and she instantly wrapped Weiss up in her arms. She might have squeezed Weiss a little too hard, but it only took a few seconds for Weiss to return the favor.

Ruby drew in a shaky breath and turned her head to press a kiss to Weiss’s temple. Weiss’s arms tightened even more, giving Yang’s hugs a run for their money. Funny how getting her ribs put in a vice grip always made Ruby feel more loved than anything else.

Ruby held Weiss for a few moments longer before saying softly, “I’m sorry.”

Weiss clutched at the back of Ruby’s shirt before loosening her grip and sagging against her. “No,” she muttered, “I’m the one who should be apologizing.  _ I’m _ sorry.”

Ruby hummed noncommittally. Then she said, “Okay, then how about this? We both messed up. Dunno how yet, but we did.” She ran her hands up and down Weiss’s back. 

“So what happened? I didn’t think you cared this much about...well,  _ things. _ Material goods. You were always so quick to get rid of anything you didn’t need anymore, and you weren’t all that big on decorating and stuff. This...this feels different.”

Weiss didn’t say anything for a few long moments. Then she pulled away slowly, but she didn’t walk away this time. Instead, she simply turned around. 

Ruby stood motionless for a couple of seconds before gently moving forward to take Weiss in her arms again. Weiss leaned back against Ruby, and Ruby pressed her palms against Weiss’s stomach. Weiss took the opportunity to rest her hands on the back of Ruby’s, her thumbs hesitantly stroking the back of Ruby’s hands. Ruby merely pressed a second kiss to Weiss’s cheek in silent encouragement.

Weiss’s voice was quiet and uncharacteristically subdued. “I...didn’t think I’d care this much either. But when you were gone on this last huntressing job...it was hard to come home to an empty house.”

Ruby’s heart clenched, and she tightened her hold. Weiss squeezed Ruby’s hands before continuing.

“When I think back on it, I was never interested in decorating because I simply wasn’t allowed to do so. Father controlled everything at home. Every tapestry, every painting, every piece of furniture, the utensils and dishes in the kitchens, the clothes in my wardrobe...they were all carefully calculated to show off his prestige and wealth. Nothing in that mansion was ever truly mine.

“But now I’m here with you, creating a life that I can actually call my own. So I thought, why not fill our new home with pieces of us? Then maybe the house won’t seem so empty when you’re gone because all I’d have to do is look around and see...well, us.”

This time it was Ruby’s turn to pull away. She moved so that she could stand face to face with Weiss. She took Weiss’s hands in her own and bumped their foreheads lightly together. 

Her heart ached, and remorse made her throat hurt. Her lips flattened.

She had left Weiss all alone. She had let her feel lonely. That never should have happened. Weiss had already spent far too much of her life alone, and Ruby had long since made it her personal mission to make sure Weiss didn’t have to feel lonely ever again.

Before, it hadn’t mattered if Ruby left on a longer hunting trip because someone else (either Yang or Blake) would always be around. But now the two of them had moved away, and Ruby had never stopped to consider what that might mean for Weiss.

Snapshots flashed through her mind’s eye. Coming home to a darkened, empty house. Eating meals alone. Going to sleep in a bed that was much too big for a single person.

It hurt to imagine.

Ruby squeezed Weiss’s hands tightly. She had to do better. She  _ would _ do better.

But Weiss wasn’t off the hook either. 

Ruby took a deep breath and drew back. “I wish you had just told me,” she said quietly. 

Weiss wouldn’t meet her eyes. 

“You have a job to do,” Weiss said flatly, “so there’s nothing we can do about you being away. Knowing that I” —her chin trembled— “...that I might be a  _ tad _ lonesome when you’re away wouldn’t have helped either of us. You shouldn’t have to worry about me when you’re out in the field.” She sounded angry, but knowing Weiss, she was only angry at herself.

Ruby wished she wouldn’t be. She wished so much that Weiss’s good-for-nothing father hadn’t conditioned her to believe that her feelings were meaningless. Selfish. Something to be set aside and ignored whenever possible. 

But at least this was something Ruby could try to fix.

“First off, I’d worry about you anyway. I go to bed wondering how you’re doing, if you’re getting enough sleep, if you’re eating properly…” —Ruby reached up and stroked Weiss’s cheek with the back of her fingers— “and I’m pretty sure I always will. Especially since you made the mistake of giving me this.” She pulled out the ring Weiss had given her and dangled it between them. 

She gave an evil cackle and tried waggling her eyebrows like she had seen Yang do before. “You’re stuck with me now.”

Weiss snorted. She gave Ruby that crooked half-smile, the one that always looked both exasperated and amused all at the same time. “Perhaps,” she said, her voice finally sounding much lighter than before. Then she leaned up and kissed Ruby’s cheek. “But there are worse fates in life.” 

Ruby grinned and threaded her arm around Weiss’s waist. “Well, now that all that’s settled, let’s get this landscaping thing taken care of.” 

Then she grimaced at the blotchy black and white rock that started this whole mess. “But please, please,  _ please _ tell me you weren’t serious about that diorite stuff.”

To Ruby’s surprise, Weiss burst into quiet laughter. “Oh gods, it really does look like bird feces, doesn’t it?”

Ruby nodded sagely. “Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.” 

Weiss chuckled a few more times, making Ruby’s grin turn into a true smile. She had always loved to hear the sound of Weiss laughing. Even better were the times when Ruby had done something to bring that laughter forth.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” Weiss mused. “Or rather, I know exactly what I was thinking, and it wasn’t about how the stone looked. I was looking more at what materials were traditionally used in walkways, and all my sources said that diorite is extremely durable and resists water, wind, and acid erosion.”

Ruby blinked and glanced back at the stone sample. “Hard to believe something so ugly could be so useful.”

“Indeed.” With that, Weiss tugged Ruby along, and they wandered off in search of something better they could use in their backyard.

  
  


**_~Two Weeks Later~_ **

Ruby slid her key into the front door with a tired sigh. She was so ready for a shower and a nap. She pushed open the door only to find Weiss standing in the foyer. She blinked.

What…?

Then Ruby took in Weiss’s triumphant smirk and the pleased gleam in her eyes.

Weiss gestured to the side table they had in the hall, and Ruby finally realized what was going on.

Ruby grinned in spite of her exhaustion. “You found them,” she said happily.

Weiss scoffed. “Of course I found them. You hid the first one under your pillow before you left. All I had to do was fix the bed, and it was right there.”

Ruby’s grin turned into a full-blown smile.

The next day that Weiss had to go to work after their first visit to Backyards & Balconies, Ruby had gone back to the landscaping store on her own. She ordered a set of palm-sized stones and had the company engrave little messages on each one. Each message was something that she had always thought but hadn’t necessarily put into words until now.

_ “The day we met was one that changed my life for the better.” _

_ “Your smile always brightens my day.” _

_ “I love to listen to you laugh.” _

_ “You are and always will be more than enough for me.” _

_ “Thank you for being you.” _

They were a little embarrassing, but seeing Weiss practically glowing before her now, Ruby knew she had done the right thing. 

Ruby had smuggled the box of stones into her workshop and waited until the morning of her next long hunt to hide them around the house for Weiss to find while she was gone. Little surprises to distract Weiss from her loneliness and to remind her that she was loved.

Ruby counted the stones on the table. “Whoops, you’re missing a few.”

Weiss’s smirk vanished. “What? But I looked everywhere! You hid one in the refrigerator, for heaven’s sake!”

“Nope! There’s one for every year since we met.”

And Ruby was already thinking about making a new one to hide next year. Maybe she could even turn it into a new tradition. It was fun, imagining Weiss running all over the house looking for the next stone, and Ruby hoped they made Weiss as happy as she deserved to be.

All at once, Weiss’s expression became soft and unguarded in a way that Ruby had only seen a handful of times, and it made her own heart ache for reasons she couldn’t even begin to put into words.

Weiss suddenly stepped forward, took Ruby’s face in her hands, and kissed her with everything she had. 

Warmth coiled in Ruby’s belly, and her heart filled with joy as she returned the kiss with interest. Her hands dropped to cradle Weiss’s hips. Her exhaustion from the hunt vanished, and all she could feel, taste, and smell was Weiss: the scent of Weiss’s shampoo and conditioner, the faint taste of minty toothpaste against Ruby’s tongue, and the warmth of her hands as she caressed Ruby’s face.

And Weiss never let up. She continued the kiss until Ruby had to pull away, gasping for air. She was gratified to see that Weiss seemed just as breathless, and  _ gods _ , she looked so beautiful with her flushed cheeks and radiant smile. 

Ruby’s heart pounded so hard that she was almost certain Weiss could hear it from where she stood. As she tried to catch her breath, Ruby nuzzled her cheeks against Weiss’s palms. 

“I’m home,” she said, her voice still a little breathless.

The smile that crossed Weiss’s face made Ruby’s heart sing.

“Welcome home.” 

Then Weiss leaned forward once more. This time, their kiss was gentle and unhurried. Ruby smiled against Weiss’s lips, and she could feel Weiss doing the same.

When they parted a second time, Weiss murmured, “I  _ will  _ find the missing stones.”

Ruby grinned. Trust Weiss to always be up for any challenge.

“I look forward to it.” She gave Weiss one last peck before letting her step back so Ruby could fully enter their house. 

No.  _ Their home. _


	12. Carrot Stick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Carrot  
> Writer: DolanOats

“Ruby, I’m going to grab a cup of coffee, would you like one too?”

Without looking up from her history textbook, Ruby grumbled, “Sure”

As soon as she had responded, Ruby heard Weiss’ chair being pushed back and listened as the click clack of her high heels slowly began to fade. Ruby immediately grabbed her backpack and began rummaging through it, sifting through empty candy wrappers and crumpled notes from when she had tried to take notes for Ooblek’s class. When she finally found what she was looking for, she heard a cough and a clack as a mug was set down in front of her. Holding on to her prize, Ruby pulled her head out of her backpack and silver pools met cerulean lakes, lakes that were quickly freezing over in anger.

“Umm, hey Weiss…”

“Ruby Rose, I walk away for less than five minutes and what do you do?”

“Well you see-”

“It was a rhetorical question.”

“A what?”

“Silence!”

“O-okay.”

“I left for less than five minutes and you not only stop studying, but you make a fool out of yourself by putting your head in your backpack!”

Ruby squeaked in fear and dropped the bag she was holding, causing Weiss to look down at the offending bag.

“This is what you were looking for? A bag of… carrots?”

“U-um well, you see, you kept telling me to eat healthier and so I...you know, thought that maybe I could like...eat healthier if...I was g-given a incentive…”

Weiss gave Ruby a confused look, “An incentive dunce...Well, what incentive?”

Ruby sputtered, a crimson tide rushing across her face, bathing it in red.

“Spit it out you dunce! I don’t have all day and you need to study!”

“W-well, you know t-the thing that s-some people do with...um...pocky sticks…”   
As Weiss pondered what Ruby could mean, a blonde menace crept closer to the table they were studying at.

“Hey Ice Queen.”

“Yang! When did you get here? And don’t call me that, I have a name you buffoon.”

“Well, you see, I couldn’t help but overhear your trouble understanding what Ruby is trying to say.”

“Explain.”

“You know what pocky is right?”

“Yes, a snack with no nutritional value to speak of.”

“Yeah whatever, there are two ends, one person puts one end in their mouth, the other person puts the other end in their mouth, and they each take bites out of it until…”

As Weiss grasped the meaning of what Yang was saying, a furious blush colored her cheeks and she muttered “Dolt!” before grabbing the carrot sticks and leaving the study area. As she left, Ruby turned towards Yang.

“Yaaaaang! Why? Now she’s never gonna look at me the same way!”

“Oh please sis, she used to be so cold I would schneeze around her, but now, you melted her like weiss, she totally likes you.”

Ruby let out a groan before saying, “Now I gotta go find her, I have to apologize, maybe she’ll take me back as her friend.”

“Go gettem sis!”

“Go away Yang, go talk to Blake.”

“C’mon sis, when I see Blake, there isn’t gonna be any talking, just screaming.” She snickered as she walked away.”

The innuendo was lost on Ruby and she shrugged before running off to the dorms. If Weiss had to run somewhere, it would probably be there. Ruby activated her semblance, bursting into rose petals and arriving at the dorm room moments later. She burst in through the door and her eyes widened in shock.

Weiss was laying on her bed, carrot stick in her mouth, eyes half-lidded, and finger curled in a beckoning motion, telling Ruby to go to her.

Ruby obliged, walking over to Weiss and taking the other end of the carrot stick into her mouth, suppressing a gag at the horrendous taste. She waited, and waited, and waited, before Weiss finally removed the carrot from her mouth and said, “Eat up dolt, I eat healthy enough.” Before putting the carrot back in her mouth.   
Grumbling into the carrot, Ruby took one painful bite after another, the carrot being chewed in her mouth and eventually having to be swallowed. As she kept going, she closed her eyes and tried to envision the carrot stick as a long cookie, it helped a little but she still had to suppress her gags as she bit off more and more. 

Suddenly, when she tried to take another bite, she tasted something warm, minty, and soft, her eyes flying open to show that she had reached Weiss’ mouth and that their lips had connected. Ruby swallowed the rest of the carrot in her mouth and broke the kiss after she remembered she needed to breathe.

“Umm, Weiss, d-does this mean we are together n-now?”

“Yes dolt, did it take you this long to realize I had feelings for you?”

“Kinda, yeah, I actually came to apologize.”

“No need Ruby, that kiss was more than enough.”

Ruby suddenly remembered something, opening her mouth and asking, “Hey Weiss, what did Yang mean when she said that when she saw Balke they would be screaming instead of talking? Why would they scream at each other if they are so close?”

Weiss felt blood rush to her face for the third time that day and she said, “She was referring to intercourse Ruby, it was a sex joke.”

Ruby turned the color of her namesake, “O-oh...”

“Yeah.”

“Weiss…”

“Yes Ruby?”

“There’s still two carrot sticks left…”

  
“Well, what are you waiting for, dolt? Take them out!”


	13. Pride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Pride  
> Writer: Muffin_Fox5

She was a veterened huntress with many successful hunts under her plethora of belts, she’s embarked on adventures with the sake of the planet on the line and came out victorious on each one, and she’s even had a hand in dispatching several criminal syndicates. Weiss Schnee had many accolades to help return her family name to it’s previous splendor before her father, however rising without the assistance of her trusty alarm clock rousing her from her deep slumber. 

“Gooooodss...shut up you damn nuisance…” Weiss mumbled, her eyes half-lidded as she slapped at the blaring device resting on the nightstand next to her. She hated the grating noise ripping her from the blissful dream she had been having, but as Weiss finally rose out of the queen sized bed and glanced over at the dark early morning sky the ex-heiresses knew the alarm was a necessary evil in order to ensure that her fiance got the rest she deserved. An evil that Weiss would wish for it’s violent demise as she begrudgingly dressed into her combat gear so she could relieve her loving wife-to-be from her guard position along the outskirts of the village that had hired her. 

‐----------

Given her aversion for early wake up calls, especially ones where the sun wasn't even out yet, it was safe to say that Weiss's sour mood continued all the way out the Inn's front doors and out past the villages entry, a neutral scowl on her face as she waved the guard who's chipper attitude provided no benefit to her mood. Not to mention the short hike towards the makeshift sniper post her fiance had set up to help her better keep an eye out for any invasive Grimm. It wasn't an exhausting trek, but the added activity didn't help Weiss's mood. Weiss had assumed that either some the chance to eviscerate some bold Beowolf or a tight embrace from her silver-eyed lover would help with her mood, so it was only natural when she was stopped dead in her tracks at the sound of Ruby's voice carrying a familiar song reached her ears, the shock of her lovers talent leaving her dumbfounded.

The lyrics were soft and they lacked the intensity that she had initially provided, but Weiss could still recognize the song she had sang at the Beacon beneficiary her father had put on. In all the years Weiss had known Ruby, she could never recall hearing her sing in such a pleasant and wondrous manner before. Sure whenever Ruby would take on a sing song tone when speaking excitedly (or when she wanted to get a bit spicy with her lover, but this ain't that kind of fic right now.) 

“Amazing…” She didn’t mean to announce her presence with a dumbfounded complement, but the words had unintentionally left her mouth and earned her the business end of Crescent Rose bladeed end while Ruby wore a startled expression on her face. However, it didn’t take long for Ruby to drop her combat stance and descend into a flustered mess of a guilty woman. 

"Ruby...that was incredible!!" Weiss exclaimed, all evidence of her previous sour attitude completely vanished without a trace as she quickly closed the distance between her and the beat red scythe-wielder, reaching bout and clasping her hands on Ruby's arms. "How am I just now hearing “How am I just now hearing this, Ruby you sing so beautifully I...does Yang or anyone else know you have this amazing voice?” She had clearly caught her lover in a state where she was feeling comfortable alone, so it didn’t surprise Weiss when Ruby broke out into a small flustered fit while still in her grips. Complete with a nervous glance towards the ground and complemented with a adorale awkward giggle while her cheeks turned a shade of red to match her favorite cloak. 

“I uh...no I would never sing in front of someone else. I’m mostly self taught so forcing someone else to listen to my screeching would be an awful thing to do.” Ruby said, doing her best to keep from making eye contact with her wife-to-be while she continued to nervously shift in her lover’s grip. “And besides in comparison to you my voice sounds like-”

“YOUR SELF TAUGHT!!??” There wasn’t any venom nor jealousy in Weiss’s words, but that didn’t stop Ruby from jumping in place at her lover’s sudden shout. “Ruby I’m not telling you to give up your huntress career and take your voice on tour or something, but refusing the clear musical talent your voice poses is a clear crime against nature.” 

“You're just saying that cause you love me.” Ruby said, still refusing to make eye contact with her fiance but failing to stifle the ridiculous smile that was still on her face. Her lover’s words didn’t truly offend her, but that didn’t stop Weiss from releasing Ruby’s arms from her grasp and taking an indigent stance as she let out a scoff. 

“Oh please Ruby Rose-Schnee,you know I don’t bother with empty praise.” To better sell the guise that Ruby’s words had wounded her, Weiss flipped her head to the side with a dramatic flare befitting an offended aristocrat. “Frankly it almost offends me that you would accuse me of such a heinous act.” She wasn’t facing in her lover’s direction, but that didn’t obscure the embarrassed expression that must have been on Ruby’s face at this point in time. 

“Well I guess it can’t be helped can it?” Weiss said, once again capable of perfectly seeing the confused expression that her silver-eyed lover was now wearing. “I have to relieve you of your watch so that you can rest, but I expect you to repent for this offense by performing a list of songs at my discretion the next time we’re home.” With her demands set, Weiss finally returned her gaze back to her wife-to-be’s face just in time to see the intense blush that spread over Ruby’s face. Weiss gathered that Ruby was getting ready to protest the punishment, but Weiss wasn’t interested in her lover attempting to worm her way out of this activity. Quickly cutting Ruby’s sentence short even before it had time to be born, Weiss leaned in close to Ruby’s ear so that she could speak in a low tone, only loud enough for Ruby’s ears only.

“And don’t fret Ruby, I have the perfect outfit in mind for your performance.” Weiss whispered, the hot air from her breath hitting Ruby’s ears causing a small quake from the flustered woman. “Now off with you, you’ve kept me from my duties long enough.” Then with a quick smack on her confused lover’s butt, Weiss sent Ruby off in the flustered state she was in with no opportunity to negotiate. Sure Ruby could have stayed behind to try and talk her way out of this, but Ruby had quickly resigned to her fate and trekked back to the inn they were staying at, leaving behind only the startled yelp that came out of her mouth upon feeling her lover’s hand make contact with her lower cheeks. 

“I mean honestly Ruby, you should have more pride in your voice.” Weiss said, speaking to the empty cool air around her since Ruby had made her way back to the village. 


	14. Throat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Throat  
> Writer: The Great Weiss Shark

When the turn took hold and Weiss lost her humanity, she swore never to drink from a human host. She’d sooner drink the tainted blood from her own species than a human… even if they did smell absolutely delicious. 

“When was the last time you fed, Blue?” 

Weiss rolled her eyes as she turned to face her uninvited guest. “Nicole, what a surprise to see you.”

“It’s my restaurant, baby, what did you expect?”

“For you to be cooking or doing some managerial work,” Weiss snidely shot back as she wiped a glass dry and set it next to the others. “Seriously, what are you doing here, can’t you see I’m working?” 

“'Working'? Really? Because all I see is my head bartender cleaning glasses instead of serving drinks,” Coco replied with her arms crossed. “I’ve been watching you.”

“I’m flattered,” Weiss said, batting her eyelashes, “but you know I’m not interested.”

Coco frowned. “I’m not joking around, Weiss. I see the way you’re looking at her.”

“Who?” Weiss played dumb, her grip around the new glass tightening.

“Ruby,” Coco said. 

“Ah…” Weiss set the glass down and stared at the new waitress Coco hired. She was going between tables checking on customers with a brilliant smile and far too much pep in her step to be normal. She was a beautiful little thing and Weiss was enthralled. “You can savour a gorgeous cake on display but not buy it.”

“Weiss,” Coco growled, her brown eyes flashing red for an instance.

“I’m not  _ thirsty _ ,” Weiss insisted. “But I won’t deny that I’m looking at her.”

Coco blinked, the dusty lightbulb in her pretty little head lighting up. “Oh! Ohhhh… so you’re not thirsty-thirsty, just  _ thirsty.  _ Got'cha. _ ” _

_ “ _ Mm _ …” _

“Oh wow, that’s a first!” Coco laughed with relief. “Well, I say go for… workplace relationships aren’t banned, per se, so just try not to eat her on the first date.”

“I’m classier than that,” Weiss smirked. 

After Coco left, Weiss called Ruby over to check on her. The girl shyly walked up to Weiss with this adorable blush on her face that reminded Weiss of the fact that Ruby was alive, warm, and… 

Weiss swallowed hard as she let Ruby’s intoxicating scent fill her senses. 

“Hi, you called?” Ruby said, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, giving Weiss a good view of the nape of her neck.

Licking her lips, Weiss leaned on the bar, getting as close to Ruby as it would allow. “You’re off in thirty minutes, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you free after?” Weiss asked, taking slow, deep breathes to savour the alluring aroma rolling off of Ruby like waves lapping the shore. Her stomach grumbled, but Weiss ignored it.

Ruby looked away, her blush deepening as she mulled over Weiss' question. There was a heavy spike in Ruby’s heartbeat just then and Weiss' sensitive nose picked up on a new scent: arousal.

Weiss smirked, her lips curling up with pride; she had this beautiful, vivacious girl completely under her spell.

“I am,” Ruby replied hesitantly, glancing up at Weiss demurely. “Why?”

“Well, I was thinking…” Weiss said carefully, “if you’re free and you don’t have someone waiting for you… would you be interested in having dinner with me?”

Ruby brushed her hair back and hesitantly nodded her head. “I’d like that…”

“Good,” Weiss smiled, “but why does it sound like you’re hesitating?”

“Well,” Ruby said, glancing around to make sure no one was watching them, “um, you’re kind of my boss. Is this allowed?”

“If you’re uncomfortable we can just go as friends.”

“No, no!” Ruby grabbed Weiss' hand before she could pull away. “I want it to be a date. I’m just… I’m just worried.”

“Going on a date with me isn't going to put your job at risk,” Weiss said, settling back down.

Ruby laughed with relief and nodded her head. “Another thing is Coco…”

“Oh no, what did that idiot do now?”

“Nothing! She hasn’t done anything,” Ruby said. “Nothing's going on between you guys, right? Because, um, I’m not seeing anyone… I just want to make sure this isn’t some sort of—”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. “There’s nothing going on between us.”

“Really?” Ruby asked. “Because I see the way she looks at you…”

“Well,” Weiss paused, “we do have a bit of  _ history _ …” Weiss' eyes darkened with a memory she wished she could forget. The pain and fear from that night made Weiss nearly wretched on the spot, but she covered it with a nod and a grim laugh. “It isn’t the history you’re think of though.”

“Really?” Ruby asked hopefully.

“She’s my adoptive sister. We’ve been together since the day I… took my first breath,” Weiss said with an easy smile. “Any other questions?”

Ruby shyly bit her lip, her beautiful silver eyes shining with excitement. “Does this mean you like me?”

“Oh,” Weiss eyed the smooth curve of Ruby’s neck and the way her throat bobbed when she swallowed, “what's not to like?” 


	15. A Musical Bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Music  
> Writer: Winter1112
> 
> Author's Note: With my thanks to Staind and Aaron Lewis, whose music helped me through some dark times in my own life.

Ruby Rose, the rabbit faunus leader of the best second year, cookie loving team in Beacon, has a secret. One that only Yang knows about, and is sworn to such strict secrecy that she lives in terror of breaking that particular one of Ruby's unspoken rules: Never, ever talk about how she can sing.

Ruby wasn't just born with long, stylish ears that Weiss loves to play with when they're laying together in bed watching Netflix. She was also blessed with perfect pitch to go with her now foot long sound catchers. And as a child, she would sing for everyone she met.

She sang for the pigeons at the park, the elderly people at her grandmother's cribbage games, even the crossing guard at Longshoreman Elementary School on Patch. Singing was her entire life, and Summer and her grandmother and sister were her enthusiastic supporters. They even began to hope that at least one Rose woman would finally avoid the life of a huntress, instead choosing a life of bringing joy to others with her beautiful alto voice and bright enthusiasm.

Then an incident happened one day with a chicken, and Ruby never sang again.

Even music brought her no joy as she began to train to become a huntress with the same passion she once showed her singing. Summer and her grandmother of course were bitterly disappointed, while Yang was devastated. Even she wanted better for Ruby than the huntress life she herself was training for. 

The Huntsmen's life that had killed both their fathers. The Huntress's life that drove a wedge between former partners and best friends, leaving Summer alone to raise two girls that still owned her shattered heart. At least she had her mother Elizabeth's help, the older woman accepting Yang like her own granddaughter without a moment's hesitation.

But Ruby's love of music hasn't faded, despite the years and her sister's beliefs. It's still buried deep inside of her, slowly being brought back to the surface by the white wolf she loves and secretly shares a passion with.

That same love/denial relationship has led her to this moment in time as she hides under Weiss's bed. Tonight is her girlfriend's choice for a team activity, and to everyone's surprise she chose…

"Karaoke?! No way!" Yang protests as she shakes her head vigorously. "I sound like a beowolf gargling sandpaper and razor wire! Besides, it's on the banned list of activities!"

"Actually no, no it isn't." Weiss reminds her with a glare. "I used my one veto this year to keep it on the list. I want to go singing, with my whole team and Pyrrha from JNPR. Jaune may go jump off a bridge."

Blake nods, the panther faunus standing shoulder to shoulder with her best friend. "So do I. I'm tired of video games, or laser tag, or making mountains upon mountains of cookies every single team night. Even I want to go do this, and I sound like someone caught my tail in a door." She adds firmly. 

"Brute?"

"Yes Ice Queen?"

"You and Ruby have one hour to meet us at Dave's. One. If you show up alone, my girlfriend can consider this plan of hers as well as the agreement Blake and I both made to participate to be null and void. Is that clear?"

Yang grimaces. "Crystal." She replies sullenly. "We'll see you both there."

"One hour, Yang." Blake repeats as she and Weiss both gather purses and jackets. "We aren't joking. I'm sick of wasting my personal time on crap I don't enjoy doing, like losing constantly at a video game."

"Or getting chased by that secretive cookie monster Coco Adel because we smell like mint chocolate chip cookies. So ONE HOUR!" Weiss declares firmly before slamming the door behind them.

"Welp, sorry sis. No hopping your way out of this one."

"Then the deal's off. I won't do it." Ruby replies as she hides deeper under the bed. "I can't…"

Yang Xiao Long considers herself a reasonable human being. Well as reasonable as one can be with a rabbit faunus sister who had to teach herself the hard way to not run from danger, but face it head on.

Except for chickens. Ruby is mortally afraid of them, and no one knows why.

Coming to a decision, the Dragon stands and cracks her knuckles. Ruby doesn't have enough room to run, and she doesn't have enough control of her semblance to teleport reliably yet.

And honestly? Ruby and Weiss singing together would be something near biblical to listen to.

"Ruby?"

"I know what you're thinking Yang, the answer's no."

"It's time Ruby. I'm even going to call Mom and Grandma." The Brawler informs her as she flexes her fingers. She's only going to get one shot at this, otherwise it could be days before they find her. "Come on Wubby Woo. I need to hear you sing again, so do mom and grandma."

"No!" She replies petulantly.

"Last chance." She replies as she prepares to lay on the guilt trip. "Do this for Weiss. She loves you, wants to stay with you, and you're willing to throw the last eight months away?"

"Fine. Can you get me my nice red dress and the matching heels?" She asks as she emerges from under the bed covered in dust bunnies and a sock. "And my guitar."

"Your guitar's at home." She points out as she moves to the Reaper's closet while the woman herself walks towards the bathroom, but stops before entering.

"Then I guess you need to call Mom and Grandma then, huh?" Ruby declares over her shoulder. "And tell them to bring the acoustic, not the electric."

"You bet!" Yang declares as she scrambles to get her scroll. Dialing Summer's number, her smile widens as Summer answers. "She's gonna sing again! She needs her acoustic!" 

Ruby herself isn't listening behind the closed door of the bathroom. She's breathing frantically into a paper bag while trying to convince herself that she can do this.

For Weiss, she can do this.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Weiss curtseys as the small crowd applauds her rousing rendition of Girls Just Want to Have Fun, a personal favorite. Moving off stage, she joins Blake and Pyrrha, who herself just wowed the crowd with a sultry version of Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.

But that's the least of her problems. Ruby and Yang's timer expired while she was on stage, and she's not amused. At all. But, before she can ask, Blake holds up a finger. "Yang just texted me. They're here."

"Then where are they?" She demands as she looks around. "I don't see them!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Dave, the owner of the bar calls out as he takes the stage. "Thanks, everyone for coming out tonight. Been doing this for over twenty years now, and I've seen a lot of talent come and go. And while I'm definitely proud to have hosted Weiss Schnee herself tonight, I'm even prouder to announce the return of someone the older crowd may still remember." 

Weiss blinks at that. "I didn't think he would recognize me." She admits while he pauses to talk to someone backstage.

"Weiss, you're a very well known singer." Pyrrha reminds her as she sips on some fruity looking drink. "Even I've heard of you. I'm not ashamed to admit I used to make my entrance to my matches to your rendition of Fireworks."

Blake nods as she smiles. "We call you the singing heiress back home." She adds as Dave moves back to the mic smiling. 

"Miss Schnee, our next singer would like for you to join her on stage." He asks as a server puts a pair of chairs on the stage.

"Me? Uh sure." She replies as she stands and walks back on stage, sitting down nervously.

Dave's smile widens as he looks at the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I want to welcome back a young woman who once all but lived here until a tragic incident involving a singing clown and his pet chicken. Ruby Rose!"

Weiss blinks as Ruby comes out on stage waving, a dark red acoustic guitar in her hand, while she looks fantastic in a matching red dress and heels she's never seen before. She honestly thought Ruby looked beautiful last year for the dance, but now?

Ruby looks incredible!

"Hey." She calls out quietly as she sits across from Weiss, her guitar sitting properly in her lap. "I made it."

"You're still late." She whispers back as she blushes.

Ruby grins. "Took a second to get my tail through the hole. It was still poofy from the shower." She explains as she quickly strums a cord and makes a few adjustments. "When I met you, you honestly scared me." She admits as she smiles, her fingers taking their positions to start. "But then one night, when I got my first kiss, I had an epiphany."

Weiss blinks as Ruby begins to play softly, never once even thinking that her rabbit faunus girlfriend even knew what an instrument even was. But then Ruby begins to sing…

_ Your words to me just a whisper _

_ Your face is so unclear _

_ I try to pay attention _

_ Your words just disappear _

Weiss is in shock. Her old vocal instructor would already be sobbing at how beautiful Ruby's Alto is. 

_ 'Cause it's always raining in my head _

_ Forget all the things I should have said _

Forget her teacher, she's now in tears as she sits in front of a growing crowd. All of them, especially Weiss are enchanted by Ruby, who only has eyes for the wolf faunus in front of her.

_ So I speak to you in riddles _

_ 'Cause my words get in my way _

_ I smoke the whole thing to my head _

_ And feel it wash away _

_ 'Cause I can't take anymore of this _

_ I want to come apart _

_ And dig myself a little hole _

_ Inside your precious heart _

And suddenly, Weiss has her own epiphany. This is how Ruby felt those six long months! Those long six months they danced around the growing elephant in the room. The way she stammered and blushed and could never speak properly to her.

_ 'Cause it's always raining in my head _

_ Forget all the things I should have said _

It took a first kiss for them both on the back steps of the ballroom to finally convince the rabbit faunus that she, Weiss Schnee, liked her. Granted, Ruby was an even bigger stammering mess than she already was, but a second kiss managed to fix it.

_ I am nothing more than _

_ A little girl inside _

_ That cries out for attention _

_ Yet I always try to hide _

_ 'Cause I talk to you like children _

_ Though I don't know how I feel _

_ But I know I'll do the right thing _

_ If the right thing is revealed _

Now she feels horrible. She threatened to stop something that does make them all happy, that brings them closer together as a team. She actually does love team night! She just wanted to do something different! 

_ 'Cause it's always raining in my head _

_ Forget all the things I should have said _

Weiss leans forward and kisses her Reaper tenderly once the last cord ends, while the crowd cheers and applauds. "I'm sorry for forcing you to do this." She whispers.

"It's fine, Snowflake. I think I needed to get a few things off my chest." Ruby replies quietly as she strums a few bars. "Duet?"

Weiss giggles as she stands. "Unlike you obviously, I can't sing while I sit."

Ruby grins as she winks. "Gives me a better view anyway." She declares, getting a swat to the face with her girlfriend's tail. 

"Shut up and play dolt!" Weiss smiles as she raises the microphone.

"You bet, snowflake!" Ruby replies as she taps the beat on her guitar before beginning to play, Weiss beginning to sing along despite having to identify the song on the fly. But despite that, the two of them monopolize the stage the rest of the night, and the entire crowd inside the club, as well as everyone outside agrees:

Ruby and Weiss sound better than biblical, they sound like a legendary duo in the making…


	16. i mean (technically) our marriage is saved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Husband  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse

“Oh, dear,” Mrs. Schnee gasps from her desk. Emerald, Mrs. Schnee’s personal assistant, notices her concerning tone immediately and rushes to her aid. Emerald started at Beacon Inc. from an intern to working directly under the CEO as her assistant; Mrs. Schnee considers her a picture-perfect underling. However, to be frank, Emerald feels incompetent under the CEO’s wing. While their relationship is the textbook definition of professionalism, Emerald has little knowledge of Mrs. Schnee's personal life. All Emerald knew was the existence of her child and the fact she’s married. Emerald doesn’t know who he is, what he looks like, or what he does. After a year of working with Mrs. Schnee, the young woman hopes to change that.

“Mrs. Schnee?” Emerald asks her boss. “What seems to be the problem?” Mrs. Schnee moves her chair to the side to allow her assistant to see for herself. Emerald sees the desktop wallpaper of Mrs. Schnee’s child with half of the screen corrupted—resulting in the poor kid looking like a changeling.

After both women closely analyzed the issue, Mrs. Schnee voiced her concern. “There’s something wrong with my screen.” Her boss faces the young woman in full. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about computers would you?" 

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” she shakes her head, “that’s not under my qualifications.”

“Hm,” Mrs. Schnee grunts. “Figures.”

“I can call IT for you, ma’am—let them know your computer needs immediate attention.” She pulls out her work scroll and dials the IT department.

“Thank you, Emerald.” 

A secretary answers on the other end. “Good afternoon, the CEO office has an urgent computer problem.” The secretary confirms someone is on the way. “Thank you, have a nice day.” Emerald hangs up and promptly looks at Mrs. Schnee sitting in her executive chair.

She pushes her glasses up her nose and crosses her arms in thought. “My reports were on that computer.”

“It’s probably just an issue with the monitor, ma’am. From what I do know about computers, monitors are separate hardware.”

Mrs. Schnee stands from her chair. “We’ll see what the IT person has to say.” She walks over to the coffee machine in the corner of the office. “In the meantime, inform marketing I won’t be attending the 2 o’clock call.” She pours a healthy cup and basks in its scent.

Emerald nearly juggles her scroll as she dials the marketing department. “May I ask why, ma’am?”

“That program is on my computer,” Mrs. Schnee takes her coffee and plops on the sofa in the lounge area, “and it will be in the middle of repairs at that time.” She takes a sip. “Also, tell the marketing director to email me updates from that meeting.” Mrs. Schnee idly pulls out her scroll. “I can at least access that on my scroll.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Emerald swiftly informs the marketing secretary of Mrs. Schnee’s absence during today’s meeting, as well as her request for urgent updates. She watches her boss dance with her coffee cup as the two of them wait for the IT technician.

The sound of rapping on the office door calls the two’s attention. As well as a “Hello?” From the other side.

With haste, Emerald heads for the door. A silhouette of an average height slim figure appears to be on the other side. She opens the door and is met by exactly that. Emerald observes this new figure in closer detail; they wear the uniform of someone in IT: a basic button-up shirt with a vest branding Beacon Inc.'s logo. Around their waist is a bulky key ring filled with spare keys for every room and corridor in the building. Their hair is neatly kept, and their eyes are an unusual silver. “You’re not Reginald.” She says matter-of-factly.

“Who?” The strange person asks.

“He’s… never mind.” Emerald puts on a smile to appear more friendly. “You must be new.”

“I’m not ‘new.’ I’m Ruby,” they introduce themself. Emerald rolls her eyes. Mrs. Schnee, on the other hand, quietly chuckles. 

“Haha, very cute,” Emerald spat sarcastically.

Mrs. Schnee walks closer between her and Ruby. “Reginald retired a month ago. Ruby here must’ve taken his position,” she explains to them.

Ruby pulls a face. “You seriously had a guy who worked here named Reginald?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Schnee calmly affirms.

“He was the… IT Director,” Emerald adds, realizing who she was talking to.

“Well, looks like I’m the IT Director, now.” Ruby extends their arm out for a handshake. “As I said before, the name’s Ruby,” they officially introduce themself.

She shakes their hand, a sign of starting anew. “Emerald.”

Letting go, Ruby turns to face her boss. “Hi, I’m Ruby.” They shake the CEO’s hand more firmly.

Mrs. Schnee looks at Ruby with affection and touches them the same way. “Nice to meet you, Ruby. I’m—” 

“Weiss Schnee is the CEO of Beacon Inc.” Emerald can’t believe a member of executive management doesn’t even recognize the CEO.

Releasing from Ruby’s grip, Mrs. Schnee glares at her. “Thank you, Emerald. I’m fully capable of introducing myself.” A thick lump forms in the base of her throat. “I’ll meet you on the sofa after I explain what’s wrong with my computer to the new IT Director.”

“Yes, ma’am. I apologize.” Emerald quietly moves to the lounge area, remaining cautious. 

“So, what seems to be the problem with your computer?”

“I think it’s better if I show you.” Mrs. Schnee walks over to her desk and sits on her chair. From the corner of her eye, Ruby is leaning over her boss. Both executives gather around the monitor as Mrs. Schnee wakes the computer up.

Ruby gushes loudly. “Aww. Cute kid. Are they yours?”

“Yes,” Mrs. Schnee answers. “This is a baby photo of them when they were two. They’re five now, just entering kindergarten.” Mrs. Schnee explains in a warm tone. Emerald had no idea her child was that old.

“They are quite the handsome child, Miss Schnee.”

“Thank you.”

“Mrs.” Emerald couldn’t help but chime in.

“What?” Ruby looks up from the screen. “Oh, you’re still here.”

Emerald turns her position from the sofa to face the two older individuals. “Mrs. Schnee is happily married. The baby photo on the desktop is her and her husband’s.” She hissed.

She watches Ruby nod at themself slowly after that realization. “‘Husband,’ huh?” They say in a low voice. Mrs. Schnee purses her lips, darting her eyes between Ruby and Emerald.

After a few moments, Mrs. Schnee stands up from her chair to allow Ruby to investigate her computer more closely. She walks halfway to the lounge area. “While you’re here, Ruby, would you like a cup of coffee?” Emerald’s eyes bulged as she heard her boss say those words. She could have sworn she had a mini heart attack. How stupid of her for not offering Ruby a cup of coffee before her boss did? It’s like the assistant wasn’t even trying to do her job.

“Yes, please.”

Mrs. Schnee was already pouring a cup. “Perfect. How do you take it?”

Emerald jumps from her seat to the coffee maker like it’s a race. “I can make Ruby their coffee, Mrs. Schnee.” She profusely apologizes to her boss. “I’m so sorry I forgot—”

“Nonsense, Emerald. You're  _ my _ assistant, after all.” Mrs. Schnee lends a friendly touch on Emerald’s shoulder. “I can treat my guests.”

Mrs. Schnee frees her touch and waits for her subordinate’s response. Emerald hesitantly sits back down on the sofa. “Right.”

“Ruby?” Mrs. Schnee addresses the IT Director across the room. “Cream and sugar?”

“Yes, to both!” The CEO seals the coffee cup with a cover and grabs exactly five sugar packets and a single creamer. She walks over to the desk and hands Ruby their coffee. “Thank you.” Ruby prepares their coffee, and Mrs. Schnee makes herself comfortable leaning on the desk.

“So, Ruby, what were you doing before deciding to work at Beacon Inc?”

They add all the sugar packets one by one. "Well, in my application, I said I served in the military and spent my inactive duty earning my master’s degree. The real truth is, I was a stay-at-home parent during my time at grad school."

“Wow.” Mrs. Schnee comments tenderly. “A veteran, a homemaker, and a student.”

“Yup.”

“Gotta have it all, right?”

“Yeah.” Ruby finishes adding cream and sugar to their coffee and takes a delicate sip. “Something like that.”

“How’s the coffee?” Mrs. Schnee asks.

“Delicious.” Ruby carefully places the cup on the desk and takes another stab at the computer.

Emerald noticed Mrs. Schnee was idly watching Ruby work. That, or the new IT Director was needlessly typing. The longer it went on, the more impatient Emerald became. Joyous laughter is heard from their direction. That did  _ not _ sound like work to her. She gets up from the sofa and walks closer to the desk. “Ma’am,” Mrs. Schnee snaps her attention to Emerald, “did Ruby figure out what was wrong with your computer? If you don’t mind,” Emerald lifts her watch, “time is ticking,” and taps the clock’s face. “Mrs. Schnee is a very busy person.”

Ruby looks up from the corner of their eye. “Oh yeah,” they rolled back in the chair, “I knew what was wrong as soon as Weiss showed me her screen.”

Emerald could feel a vein pop on her forehead. “Then why didn’t you say anything and spent all this time dilly-dallying?” She said through gritted teeth.

She feels a hand on her shoulder. “Emerald, don’t be rude.” She faces her boss. “I was merely conversing with Ruby to learn more about them.” Mrs. Schnee’s hand drops back to her side. “I try to get to know my employees as much as possible.”

“Yes, ma’am. I apologize.” She gives a slight bow, “So what is the issue with the computer?” Emerald asks Ruby.

Instead of answering her, Ruby looks to the CEO. “Your computer needs a new graphics card.”

Emerald claps her hands together. “Perfect!” She exclaims gleefully. “Get right on it.”

“I need to order the part first.” Ignoring her, Ruby jots something down on a sticky note.

Emerald could’ve pulled her hair out with the frustration she has for this person. Her boss, on the other hand, remains calm and collected.

Mrs. Schnee places a hand under her chin. “Wouldn’t IT have spare parts for all of the computers in the building?” She asks Ruby. Emerald’s ears perk up at this revelation.

“Normally, yes.” Ruby leans back in the chair. “However, your computer, in particular, is a much older model. A new part is a small price to pay for getting it up and running again.” They explained to both of them.

“Then why not replace my computer with the new model? Surely that will benefit in the long-run,” Mrs. Schnee says in a tone Emerald didn’t recognize.

After a pregnant pause, Ruby responds in the same tone. “Trust me, Mrs. Schnee. Your computer runs fine.”

“It clearly doesn’t. The proof is in the pudding.”

“Just because your computer has a fritz  _ one _ time, does not call for a brand new computer.” At this point, Emerald couldn’t believe someone was talking back to her supervisor.

“Maybe I can get a used computer.”  _ A used computer? _

“A used computer is a disaster waiting to happen. If anything, a used computer could be compromised.” Ruby’s voice begins to elevate, but just under a yell.

“So, you’re saying I  _ should _ get a new computer.”

“I didn’t say that. You are putting words in my mouth.” They sigh. “A new computer is also expensive and costs thousands of Lien.”

“This is a Fortune 500 company; surely we can splurge for a new computer.”

Ruby presses their palms together in a calming matter. They take a deep breath. “I understand where your frustration is coming from, Mrs. Schnee. Especially when it comes to the safety and convenience of the company, but in my professional opinion, a new computer is only a viable option when there is severe damage to the existing computer and insurance doesn’t cover it. Trust me, Mrs. Schnee, I know what I’m talking about.”

Mrs. Schnee permits a period of silence before speaking again. “Of course.” She runs a hand through her hair, pushing her glasses up her nose in the process.

Emerald looks between the two like they grew a second head. She had no idea why they were so riled up about a new computer. A brief silence filled the room quickly, so she spoke somewhat off-topic. “So, what’s the update on the computer?”

Ruby and Mrs. Schnee are brought back to the room. The IT Director stands up from the desk and inches between them. “That part won’t arrive until Thursday at the latest. Which means… I strongly suggest you refrain from using the computer until I can repair it. If you do, it could cause more damage, so please don’t.”

“Thank you, Ruby,” Mrs. Schnee says softly.

“Of course. And if you have any questions or concerns, here’s my card.” They pull out two business cards and hands one to each of them. “It was a pleasure meeting both of you.” They give a firm handshake to Emerald. Ruby turns to Mrs. Schnee more hesitantly, but her boss seems to cherish the touch and offers a warm smile toward them.

Ruby exits the office, closing the door on their way out.

“Well, that was a bust,” Emerald murmurs. Mrs. Schnee hums in agreement. “That Ruby character seems odd. There’s a feeling in my gut about them that feels off.” Emerald returns to the lounge area to resume working. She didn’t notice Mrs. Schnee right on her tail. “Your reports were on the computer, ma’am.” She offers her sympathy. “That’s unabashedly frustrating considering the timing of the quarterly report.”

“That’s okay, Emerald. I can have the finance director send me a copy of the reports later today while I work from home.” Mrs. Schnee holds her scroll in her palm.

Emerald nearly fainted at the news. “Are you sure, ma’am?” She looks at her boss for approval.

“Yes. I need to clear my head. Plus, I can pick up my child from school.”

“Of course, ma’am.”

“I don’t have any appointments for the remainder of the day, do I?” Mrs. Schnee asks, still glued to her scroll.

“No, ma’am,” Emerald answers with confidence. “2 o’clock was your last meeting.”

“Perfect.” Mrs. Schnee’s scroll partially leaves her grip. “You can take the rest of the day off, Emerald.”

After closer inspection, Ruby's last name on their business card was redacted. 

* * *

Emerald sits on a bench underneath the shade of a birch tree. She tentatively sips her morning coffee; next to her sits a drink tray holding Mrs. Schnee’s coffee. Her boss is expected to arrive at any minute. For now… she waits.

A car driving by catches her attention. The vehicle’s color is grotesque—an unruly shade of orange and brown. Not to mention how large it is; it appears to be a cross between a minivan and a station wagon. Emerald feels pitiful for whoever owns such a car. She sees it come to a stop in the drop-off zone. It looks like someone was getting off. She takes another sip of her coffee to avoid directly staring at—that’s her boss.

Mrs. Schnee exits the passenger side of the car in a pinstripe suit tailored to fit her perfectly. Her boss appears to be chatting with the driver for a brief moment. It was sure odd for her boss to be in a vehicle so atrocious. She had her sportscar; then again, it must be in the service center being repaired. Eventually, she shuts the door and struts toward Emerald.

Emerald pushes those thoughts in the back of her mind. She forces a smile for her boss. “Good morning, Mrs. Schnee! You look lovely today.”

Mrs. Schnee switches her shades for her glasses and looks at her. “Good morning, Emerald. And thank you.” She moves past her and heads for the office building. “Walk with me.”

The assistant picks up her feet, trailing behind her boss. “Here is your morning coffee.” Emerald switches cups and hands her boss her coffee—

“Please forgive me, Emerald, but I already picked up a cup on my way here.” Mrs. Schnee raises her coffee cup with her free hand.

Emerald embarrassingly retracts the spare coffee cup in her hand back on the tray. “I see.” She glances back at the drop-off zone and sees the ugly car gone. “It’s nice of the Ryde to detour to a cafe on your way to work.” The two go through security and wait for the elevator leading to the executive suite.

Mrs. Schnee snickers at her comment. “Ryde? No, Emerald, that was my spouse.”

“Oh. Well, I would have loved to meet him.”

“They… they’re pretty busy. Some other time maybe.”

“No worries, ma’am.” They hop on the elevator and wait to reach the top floor. The ride is a long one, with no pleasantries exchanged, it felt longer. As the door opens up at their floor, Emerald begins briefing Mrs. Schnee’s schedule for the day. “On today’s agenda, we have preparations for your presentation at the all-hands meeting tomorrow. Also, Ruby from IT is scheduled to work on your computer.”

“When are they coming?”

“10 AM, ma’am. Under 5 minutes.” Emerald unlocks the door and follows after her boss. “Your first appointment of the day.”

Mrs. Schnee places her cup on the desk. “Do I have anything scheduled during lunch?”

Emerald quickly checks the calendar. “No, ma’am. Your lunch hour is free.” Emerald drops the drink tray on a console table and brews more coffee for the day.

“I see,” Mrs. Schnee sits in her chair and listens to the rest of her schedule cited by Emerald. The day is chock full of a lot of boring meetings with people Mrs. Schnee is familiar with but is not fond of. From her experience, it’s an endless cycle of a lot of important people updating her and pitching ideas for the company. After finishing the last item of the list, Mrs. Schnee looks bored from hearing about all of her meetings, not even attending them yet. “Tell me, Emerald, are there any meetings on the agenda I  _ have _ to attend?”

“What do you mean, ma’am?”

“Well, my thought process is… logically speaking, we have the all-hands meeting tomorrow. If a department head wants to reach me, they can wait until then. If there’s a meeting on my agenda that’s not mandatory, please inform them of my absence. For now, I wish to prepare for my presentation.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Emerald realizes the time and checks her watch to make sure she’s not crazy.

“Is there something wrong?”

“Uhh. Sorry, ma’am. Ruby from IT has not shown up yet, and it’s past 10.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

“No. It’s just—I know how punctuality is very important to you,” she stutters, “and the fact that this appointment has failed to show up on time is surely revolting and you don’t deserve this—”

“Emerald.”

“Yes, ma’am?”

“You have to remember that Ruby is new to Beacon Inc.” Mrs. Schnee reassures her. “They’re probably having trouble navigating around.”

“You-you’re right, ma’am.” Emerald bows. “I apologize.”

A firm knock taps the door.

“Well, speak of the devil.” Mrs. Schnee looks from the door at Emerald. “Answer the door, please.”

Emerald opens the door for Ruby. “You’re late.”

“I’m sorry,” they say aggressively. “I don’t have executive parking privileges.”

Ignoring her tone, Mrs. Schnee stands from her chair and greets Ruby properly. “Thank you, Ruby, for making the time to repair my computer.”

“Anything for you…” they do a two-finger salute, “...boss.” I’m just doing my job.” Ruby leads the way to the computer, followed closely by Mrs. Schnee. They pivot to the side. “By the way, Mrs. Schnee, you look absolutely radiant.”

Mrs. Schnee passes them and leans against a wall. “Thank you.”

“Would you like some coffee, Ruby?” Emerald offers, trying to stay on top of it this time around.

“No, thanks. I picked up a cup on my way to work.”

“Emerald,” Mrs. Schnee calls her, “would you mind working on the assignment we discussed? I’ll be by my desk to observe Ruby’s work.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Emerald gets right to work on the sofa. She angles herself facing the desk. Ruby is pulling out tools from her vest.

“So…” Ruby begins to say. “I noticed a tee-ball trophy on the shelf there. Do you play or…?”

Mrs. Schnee laughs at the humorous implication. “No. That’s my child’s, of course. However, they’re not a fan of tee-ball anymore. They sort of outgrew it.” She sighs. “I don’t have the heart to get rid of it.”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s hard to let things go. They may seem worthless in most people’s eyes, but to yours, they shine the brightest. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and whatnot.”

“Exactly.” Mrs. Schnee ducks to Ruby’s level and monitors them at a closer angle. “I can’t help but notice your lovely wedding band on your finger. If you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been married?”

“Happily married for close to 6 years now,” Ruby answers.

“Huh. Wow.” Mrs. Schnee says with genuine interest. "A follow-up question…." Ruby hums, signaling Mrs. Schnee to continue, “What’s your spouse like?”

Ruby deeply sighs. “Oh… I dunno. Beautiful. Smart. Funny. Kind.”

Mrs. Schnee chuckles. “That sounds like more of a high school crush.”

“I swear I know her!” They quickly defend themself. “She’s filled with so much love, and that love is constantly poured on to me and our kid. She means the world to me.”

“That’s very touching, Ruby.”

“Yeah. How about you? What’s the ‘husband’ like?”

Mrs. Schnee ponders her answer. “Devilishly handsome with killer looks. Incredibly intelligent beyond compare. They easily light up a room with their joy and humor. And with their generosity and compassion, they’re practically a saint.”

Ruby blows a low whistle. “Wow. A devil  _ and _ a saint? Do they sell those in a factory or something? Maybe we should invest?”

Mrs. Schnee laughs, causing Emerald to snap. “You know, for someone who talks so much,” she marches to the scene, “I’m not surprised you work so little.”

“What are you talking about?” Ruby hops off the floor and helps Mrs. Schnee on her feet. “I finished ages ago.” Mrs. Schnee lightly brushes any specks of dust off her suit.

“So, you continue to impede Mrs. Schnee's busy schedule?” Emerald raises her voice. “I’m beginning to question your competence as the IT Director, let alone an employee at Beacon Inc.”

“Emerald,” Mrs. Schnee extinguishes Emerald’s aggression, “may I have a word with you, please?”

She steps back in shock. “Yes, ma’am.”

Mrs. Schnee turns to Ruby. “Ruby,” she says calmly, “once you wrap up, please feel free to linger around the executive suite.”

Ruby stands straight as an arrow. “Yes, ma’am,” they salute, clearly impersonating Emerald.

Mrs. Schnee tugs Emerald along in a remote corner of the office. She checks to make sure Ruby isn’t eavesdropping on them. “Emerald. I have to let you know, as my PA, you have been an outstanding employee; however, I will not tolerate such behavior to a supervisor. And yes, I am aware, Ruby is not  _ your _ direct supervisor, but in the corporate hierarchy, by no means do you have power over them. Do I make myself clear?”

Emerald fails to look Mrs. Schnee in the eye. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Good.” Mrs. Schnee takes a deep breath. “Now, before my departure the other day, you brought forth suspicion in Ruby. May I ask what that is exactly?”

“It’s more like a slight hunch, ma’am.”

“Any concerns HR has to deal with?”

“No, ma’am. I only met Ruby the same day you did. My mind wasn’t in the right headspace at the time. The hunch is probably nothing.”

“Okay,” she sighs. “Please understand that I do not take misconduct lightly.” Mrs. Schnee swipes her bangs away from her face and pushes her glasses up her nose. “I expect another draft for tomorrow’s presentation by the end of lunch.” She tilts her head toward the IT Director. “You said my lunch hour was clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I will be inviting Ruby to join me for lunch today—”

“But—”

“It’s only an invitation, Emerald. They can decline if they want to.'' With that being said, her scolding was over. Mrs. Schnee returns to the IT Director's side at her desk. “Ruby. How is the condition of my computer?” Her demeanor shifts much warmer.

They move aside for Mrs. Schnee. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Mrs. Schnee leans over her desk and stares at the screen in awe. “It looks brand new.”

“Yeah. Thanks to the new graphics card, you can see the other half of your kid on the monitor.”

Emerald noticed the two fell into a comfortable silence. After a while, Mrs. Schnee begins to speak up, “What are your thoughts on a second monitor?”

Ruby says nothing, then makes a face of a mix of shock and confusion. “A  _ second _ monitor?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?” Their voice cracks.

“To keep the first monitor from… being lonely?”

Ruby chuckles in amusement. “That’s a very common reason for another monitor, but it’s also really expensive.”

“Do you really have to play Devil’s Advocate? Under this company, money isn’t an issue. I’m sure we can afford a second monitor.”

“I mean, in your position, is a second monitor necessary, let alone viable?”

“What’s  _ that _ supposed to mean?” She asks sternly.

“No offense to you, of course,” they stammer. “But, uhh… I think one monitor is sufficient. There’s nothing wrong with just one monitor, don’t you think?”

“But with two monitors, you can see the bigger picture in full... don’t you think?” Mrs. Schnee mirrors Ruby’s words back at them.

Ruby licks their lips and chuckles flatly. “I… haven’t thought much about a second monitor, nevertheless one monitor.” They look directly at Mrs. Schnee. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Mrs. Schnee squeals in delight, nearly jumping in place, then suddenly clears her throat. “Speaking of… computers and whatnot,” she composed herself more professionally, “now that you’ve finished the repairs to my computer, would you like to join me for lunch?”

Ruby checks their watch for the time. Naturally, Emerald does the same. Has it really been half an hour? “I’d love to.” Ruby pops up from the chair and properly looks at Mrs. Schnee. “My treat.”

“Nonsense, I can take care of lunch.”

“What you can take care of is… that second monitor you’re suddenly wanting.” Ruby tucks their tools and excess waste in their vest.

“Fine,” Mrs. Schnee agrees.

“I still haven’t made up my mind about that yet by the way.” They point at her and head for the door. “See you in an hour.” They wave to Emerald standing across the room. “Nice seeing you again, Emerald. Good luck on the all-hands presentation, Mrs. Schnee,” they say, closing the door on their way out.

Mrs. Schnee practically dances to her desk, finally being able to work on her computer after days. “Finally! I can get those reports the finance director has been pestering me about done and over with.” She resumes working like clockwork—as if there was nothing wrong with her computer, to begin with.

Looking at the closed door and noticing the absence of Ruby, Emerald realized something. “Mrs. Schnee?”

“Yes, Emerald?”

“We never mentioned the all-hands meeting preparations in front of Ruby.”

Invested in her work, Mrs. Schnee doesn’t even try to look at Emerald. “Well, we did send out a company-wide email about the meeting yesterday morning. It’s company procedure. They probably saw it and assumed we were working on a presentation for the meeting,” she answers without skipping a beat.

How foolish of her. There was no way Ruby could read minds. “Of course.” Maybe Emerald is becoming too paranoid for her own good.

* * *

All Beacon Inc. employees and supervisors were to report to Vale Conference Hall located a mile away from the main offices. Emerald remembered this exact venue from last quarter. The place was crowded with folks she’d never met before. They all appeared to congregate in their own hub of the room divided by department. 

As much as Emerald would love to network, her primary duty was to Mrs. Schnee. They hoped to squeeze in one more dry run of the presentation. Emerald walks toward the stage and spots Mrs. Schnee from a mile away.

Who she didn’t expect to see was Ruby with her boss, standing close together. It looks like they were catching up; it appeared they got along from their lunch yesterday. Emerald tried to get the scoop of Mrs. Schnee’s lunch: where they went, what they talked about, but she didn’t make a peep. Nothing out of the ordinary or worthwhile happened during her time with Ruby.

Apparently, that turned out to be false. The closer Emerald walked toward the stage, the more she saw of the two. Including their kiss. They must have gotten along  _ really _ well. It was appalling considering both of them were married and in happily committed relationships. This was nothing like Mrs. Schnee. But maybe being faithful wasn’t on the table. 

Emerald looked around and not a single soul, but her own, witnessed this. If she lashes out toward their infidelity, that could cause a scene, and her boss might not be the biggest fan of such behavior. Her only other option was to confront them head-on personally; she marches over there to give a piece of her mind. As soon as she enters the area, Ruby slips out into the sea of employees. She turns around and sees the house lights dim—saved by the bell.

She catches up to Mrs. Schnee instead. “Mrs. Schnee!” Emerald calls her, softening her harsh tone as much as possible.

“Well, good morning to you, too, Emerald—”

“I saw that—the…,” Emerald remembers to use her words and takes a deep breath, realizing where they are. “Mrs. Schnee, I hate to be the one to say this, but what would your husband think? Nevertheless, your child….”

“Emerald,” Mrs. Schnee calms her nerves down, “what in the world are you talking about?”

Emerald pulls Mrs. Schnee away from the crowd in an isolated corner. “I witnessed your  _ very _ intimate encounter with Ruby just now.” She says in a low voice.

Mrs. Schnee groans and shields her face with her hands. “I will…,” she looks directly at Emerald, “explain everything later.”

“But—”

“Later, Emerald. There is a time and a place for everything.” Mrs. Schnee gestures to the crowded audience. “Please take a seat.”

Following orders, Emerald finds an empty chair not too far from the stage. On her left, she sees Ruby sitting a few rows behind her. Emerald shoots them a death glare unknowingly. The crowd around her applauds and the meeting’s moderator walks on stage and begins the all-hands meeting. He recites an overview of who will be speaking, Mrs. Schnee included; the quarterly financial report, and announces a Q&A for the board members toward the end of the meeting. After glossing over the confines, he dives into the meat, introducing Mrs. Schnee to the stage.

Emerald claps along with the audience. Mrs. Schnee walks on the stage with poise, shaking hands with the moderator on her way, and stands behind the microphone. “Thank you, Mr. Alistair, for the welcoming introduction. Good morning! In the past few months, Beacon Inc. has grown tremendously. And with tremendous growth, comes much-needed change. For our company, that means a change in workflow, change in structure, and change in leadership. 

“We have seen many cherished faces depart our ever-growing family. Some have been with Beacon Inc. since its inception. Some are off doing bigger and better things. And some have stayed loyal and have chosen to retire under our care. We at Beacon Inc. support all decisions, no matter how sad we are to see them go. Please give a warm acknowledgment to those who are no longer part of Beacon Inc. today.” Everyone in the room claps respectfully. 

“In much needed lighter news, Beacon Inc. has welcomed new leadership in its major departments. Some are familiar faces taking this opportunity to help Beacon Inc. shine, and we are ever thankful. Some are fresh faces who promise to dedicate their lives to our family, and we welcome them with open arms. I had the honor of meeting with them individually, but today, I would like to acknowledge our new leaders to the company. 

“Please give a warm welcome to our new Legal Director, Max Jones!” Mr. Jones makes his way to the stage. On his long walk, Mrs. Schnee gives a little background information on him. “Max Jones has been with Beacon Inc. for ten years as a Junior Counsel. We are elated to see him grow with us as his family and are thrilled at his hard work and dedication.” He reaches the stage and shakes Mrs. Schnee’s hand. “Congratulations, Max.” Everyone claps again. 

“Next, we have a brand new face to Beacon Inc. They have been with us for a month, and what an extraordinary month it has been. Please give a warm welcome to our new IT Director, Ruby Schnee….” Emerald’s jaw drops at the surname. Her eyes stay glued on them as they scurry between seats.

Some members of the IT Department whoop from the back of the room. “Hey, that’s my boss!” One of them even shouts.

“Hey, that’s my employee!” They yell and point back at them. Mrs. Schnee chuckles at their interaction.

As they make their way to the stage, Mrs. Schnee recites another spiel, this time about Ruby. “Ruby Schnee has served in active duty with the Atlas Military for ten years. During their time in inactive ready reserve, they have earned their MS in Computer Science from the University of Vale.” Ruby awkwardly walks up the stage and holds their hand out to shake hands with Mrs. Schnee, but instead, the CEO pulls Ruby by the collar and plants a heated kiss on their lips, eliciting an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the audience. Mrs. Schnee pulls away and says, “Welcome aboard, Ruby.” Dumbfounded, Ruby bashfully stumbles next to Max and shakes his hand.

“Lastly, but certainly not least,” Mrs. Schnee continues, unfrazzled, “We have our new Sales Director…” at which point, Emerald tunes out entirely. To be frank, Emerald was still taken aback at the revelation. She closely observes Ruby up on that stage behind their…  _ wife _ . The same wife whom they have a child and life together with. They act like being married to the most powerful woman in the company is second nature—like it means nothing.

An hour later and the meeting comes to a close. Mrs. Schnee is standing with a handful of board members and executive management—including Ruby. They were openly intimate with each other; the IT Director has an arm wrapped around the CEO’s waist, unlike how they treated each other this week. The board and the management members bid the couple farewell. Ruby dawdled by Mrs. Schnee’s side, pulling her into an embrace. “You did great! I’m so proud of you!” Ruby says in her ear.

Mrs. Schnee pulls them in for one more passionate kiss. “Thank you.”

Ruby looks behind them and remembers something. “Oh. I have to take the interns to the office. I’ll see you back home, okay? Love you.”

She waves back. “Love you, too. Drive safe.” Mrs. Schnee notices Emerald by her side. Her lips form a grin, and a soft chuckle slips out of her lips. “It looks like the cat is out of the bag. Ruby is my… so-called ‘husband.’ Now the whole company knows….” She groans and pushes her glasses up her nose, “What will the investors think?”

“I don’t… understand,” is all Emerald can muster.

Mrs. Schnee sighs. “You have been working for Beacon Inc. for two years and worked as my assistant for the past year. I don’t expect you to understand. You knew I was married, and you assumed it was with a man, which I don’t blame you for. I may be the boss in the office, but when it comes to my home life, they're in charge. As disciplining as Ruby may be, they can also be very awkward, so we decided to play along with it for a while. On Ruby’s behalf, I am deeply sorry I lied to you. I should have corrected you in the initial instance. And while I can’t correct the past, can I make it up to you somehow? How does joining my family for dinner tomorrow sound?”

Emerald’s interest piques at this idea. “Really?” She had always dreamed of seeing Mrs. Schnee’s home. She hoped it was as extravagant as she imagined it to be. 

“Yes. It’s the least I can do.”

She groaned, nearly tugging her hair out after a thought popped in her head. “But I feel horrible… I treated Ruby terribly.”

“No, you treated Ruby like a regular person,” Mrs. Schnee reassured. “If you knew Ruby was my spouse from the get-go, how would you have acted around them?”

Emerald thinks about what she could say to stay on Mrs. Schnee’s good side and decides to answer truthfully. “With high graces and the utmost respect—”

“And they absolutely hate that.” Mrs. Schnee shoots down. "The only people in the company who knew of Ruby's relation to me was HR for… obvious reasons. Not even their department knew. They wanted to start at Beacon Inc. with a clean slate and not be referred to as 'the CEO's spouse,' and for a whole month, it worked." The crowd around them dwindled out, and soon enough, it felt like they were the only ones left. "Ruby may be special, but they don’t act like they’re the bee’s knees; they’re normal with normal knees.”

“Okay…” finally on the same page, Emerald understands now, “yes, ma’am.”

Mrs. Schnee flashes a warm smile. “So, will you be joining us for dinner tomorrow?”


	17. Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Monsters  
> Writer: gaymerkree   
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree

When Weiss Schnee meets Ruby Rose for the first time, the younger girl is in chains. It's peculiar to say the least, the thick unforgiving chains rattle as she walks, but when she sees Weiss, she smiles. Weiss is told to keep away, that the beast inside such a cute form is contagious, and the heiress wonders what these great big children who masquerade as grown men could possibly have to be afraid of in this seventeen year old girl. 

The townspeople keep Ruby locked away most of the time, and it’s not until Weiss herself turns twenty that she’s told why. Apparently the townspeople believe that the beast within her thrives on sunlight, and without it, the monster will starve. It’s preposterous really. Locking a young girl in darkness to starve a metaphorical monster inside of her? Insanity. 

Halfway through her twentieth year, Weiss is escorted to Ruby’s cell, and she starts to see what exactly could be so dangerous about her. Ruby’s grown in the last year, now the picture of young adulthood, save for her sunken cheeks and pale skin. Her wrists are still shackled, sunken into a corner of her cell, she perks up when she sees Weiss enter. All at once she stands, stumbling a bit, and staggers to the bars of her cell.

“ _ Weiss! _ ” She whispers, excitement thrumming in her tone. Heavy silver eyes twinkle in the darkness, and Weiss herself feels her heartbeat thunder in her chest. Ruby’s taller now, a head above Weiss at least, with longer hair than Weiss remembers. She nods in response, holding herself back from moving closer to the thick iron bars. “I knew you’d come! The moment I saw you I knew!” 

The silver eyed prisoner is nearly bouncing in her cell, the chains at her wrist and throat jingle as she moves. “Why are you happy about this? I’m your new guard.” Weiss straightens her back, making herself taller as she approaches the bars fully. “I’m here to make sure you don’t get out.” The silver eyed captive only smiles brighter. 

“I know what you’re meant to do, Weiss.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------

It takes three weeks for Weiss to let her guard down. She’s stationed at the door to the cell, and rather than take her normal place outside the general room, she decides to move inside. Ruby is overjoyed by the decision, grinning from ear to ear at Weiss’ presence. They say nothing. Weiss simply turns on the radio on her side of the bars and pulls out a book. Things continue on like that for three months, with Ruby excitedly smiling at Weiss, and Weiss herself ignoring it. 

The next change to their normal is Weiss’ doing as well. She storms in on a particularly rainy day, in a foul mood. Ruby’s smile is somber, but still brightly directed in Weiss’ direction. She says nothing, content to sit under her only window as the rain trickles through the bars. 

“What are you always smiling at!?” Weiss finally snaps, turning on Ruby like a cornered animal. “You’re always smiling at me! Like I’m going to make this better for you! I’m not!” She’s shouting, but they both know no one can hear. They’re far from the main town, and anyone in the area wouldn’t care anyway.

“Seeing you makes this easier for me, Weiss.” The statement is simple, plain, it makes Weiss’ heart stutter with the way it’s spoken. Soft and delicate, like a piece of paper thin glass, something easily broken. 

“How?” It’s a croak as Weiss staggers into her chair, she watches Ruby shift in her shackles, and for the first time thinks of how it feels to have the cool steel around her neck and wrists. 

“You know, I used to hate the rain.” Her smile is rueful, like she regrets her decision. “Now I only get to experience the outside through the rain.” Ruby stands, walking awkwardly towards the barred window on the other side of her cell. The chain and shackle around her neck grows taught, and when it finally reaches its full length she staggers. “I can smell the outside on you too, Weiss.” 

The statement is punctuated with another somber smile that makes Weiss’ breath catch. “So you only-”

“No.” Ruby reaches a hand out to feel the rain fully on her finger tips. “You’re beautiful, Weiss.” Every utterance of her name from dry chapped lips sends Weiss’ heart into her throat. “Just seeing you makes my day more lovely.”

A dower mood settles over them as Ruby moves back to her normal corner, the rain still flickers against her skin, but now she can watch the clouds moving across the stormy sky.

“Why do they have you locked in here?” Her question is quiet against the silence of the room.

Ruby doesn’t answer, she stays silent, watching the rain. Weiss thinks that’s all the answer she’ll get, but Ruby turns to her, and her silver eyes almost turn white in the darkened room. For the first time she feels actual fear around Ruby.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

They don’t speak of the event again, sticking to quiet conversation, or opinions on the radio. Weiss learns Ruby had a family before being captured, maybe still does, and that they were quite close. Ruby learns much more about Weiss. The way she’s treated at home, and the way her father talks to her. The heiress may not be in chains, but they’re both prisoners in their own right. 

Three more months pass before anything else changes, but when Weiss storms into the cell chamber with heavy tears in her eyes she sees the white in Ruby’s again. 

“What happened?” Something in Ruby’s voice pulls the answer from her, thick and urgent.

“My father.”

“What did he do?” It’s nearly a growl and Weiss feels that foreign fear trickle through her chest again.

“He wants to marry me off to some idiot a town over.” 

The cell gets quiet, and Ruby stops looking at Weiss, like she can feel the fear flicker through her. “What do you want, Weiss?”

Weiss watches Ruby, still the picture of a captive chained and locked behind bars. She thinks about another life, one where she’d met Ruby under different circumstances. Would they be friends? Enemies?  _ Lovers?  _ What would it be like to be lovers with Ruby? Would the thing inside her spread to Weiss? Or would it eat her alive first? Her thoughts swim in the silence of the room, and when she finally looks up Ruby’s staring at her again. Silver-white eyes watch her unmoving, still waiting for an answer.

“What do I want?” Chains jingle as Ruby moves closer to the bars of her cage, and nods. “I want… Freedom.”

Energy roars through the cage and Weiss feels her fear spike. When she sets her sight on Ruby there’s something different about the silver eyes she’s gotten to know. “I can give you that.” Ruby’s voice is hollow, an echo beyond sound. “But if I do, you’ll be labeled a monster, like me.” There’s sorrow in her statement, but Weiss can’t find it in herself to feel the same. Freedom was freedom, and freedom with  _ Ruby _ , well that sounded amazing. 

“Anything.” It’s breathless, and as she says the word she can see horns grow from within Ruby’s messy red hair. Her shoulders grow broader, and her limbs thicken as rough scales coat her skin. With a simple flex she breaks the chains effortlessly, sending metal across the floor, before wrapping clawed hands around the bars of the cage and  _ bending _ . 

When the dust clears, Ruby is almost all scales, with big black wings flexing from the expanse of her back. Her face has lengthened into a snout, but her eyes are still the glitter silver-white that Weiss remembers. 

Her voice comes out much deeper, but Ruby reaches a hand out for Weiss. “Let me free you from this prison.” It’s less a request and more a statement, but Weiss nods regardless. 

“Let’s be monsters together.”


	18. Swim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Swim  
> Writer: The Great Weiss Shark
> 
> Author's note: So awhile ago I ran an event called M14 with a bunch of artists in my server. My submission was Sharkmerman!Weiss and Amnesiac!Ruby. Well, I always wanted to go back to that and I got that chance that.

Ruby stood on the shore with her eyes set to the horizon, searching for a familiar face amidst the rolling waves. She stepped further into the rising tide until the water was up to her waist. 

“Here, fishy, fishy,” Ruby cooed as she playfully slapped the water's surface. “Here, fishy, fishy.”

Ruby squinted with a hand over her eyes and spotted a dorsal fin surging towards her in the distance. She slapped the water some more and grinned.

“Hey, fishy, fishy.”

The fin disappeared, sinking back into the depths. Ruby quickly searched her surroundings and waded further into the water until it reached her shoulders. She looked behind her in case her target slipped past her, but all she could see was the clear water and the pretty sand beneath it.

“Fish—whoa!” Ruby let out a startled scream as she was dragged under, her eyes blinded by a sea of white and a flash of pale skin. Ruby swam to the surface and whipped the water out of her hair, pushing her bangs back so she could see. “That was mean, Weiss!”

“That’s what you get,” replied an annoyed voice as scarred arms wrapped themselves around Ruby’s waist. “You know better than to wade into a rising tide.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “I just wanted to see you.”

“And I would have come eventually,” Weiss replied. “There are more dangerous things in the water than me.”

“You’re hardly a danger,” Ruby scoffed. 

Instead of wasting her breath arguing, Weiss sank back into the water and took Ruby down with her. She swam further away from the safe shallows of the shore until Ruby’s feet couldn’t touch the floor. She let her go and swam around her.

Ruby shot a glare at Weiss as she swam back to the surface. But just before she could take a breath of fresh air, a hand gripped her ankle and dragged her back down.

Ruby stared at her lover in shock. Weiss merely smirked and backed away, letting Ruby swim back up.

“That was a dick move, Weiss!” Ruby shouted after catching her breath. “Why would you do that?!”

“To prove a point,” Weiss said as she swam up to Ruby and flicked her forehead. “You were lucky I was on my way back. What if it was someone else—or an actual shark! Ruby, I could smell the cut on your hand three miles away!”

“Oops,” Ruby blushed. “Sorry, I forgot about that.”

“'Forgot about that'?!” Weiss repeated in anger. “Ruby, how can you be so flippant about this?!”

“I'm sorry, okay?” Ruby huffed in exasperation and turned to swim back to shore. 

“No, you don’t get to swim back to land while we’re talking!” Weiss yelled, grabbing the back of Ruby’s shirt. “Ruby, you know I'm only angry because I care about you!”

“I know, Weiss!” Ruby shouted back. “I get it, I messed up. I'll be more careful in the future, so can you let me go? My arms and legs are starting to get sore.” 

Weiss let go of Ruby and swam up beside her. “Grab on,” she muttered.

“Thanks,” Ruby said as she gently grabbed hold of Weiss' dorsal fin. “I really am sorry though…”

“I know,” Weiss replied in a softer tone. “I'm sorry for yelling.”

“And?”

“And for dragging you under water,” Weiss added. “You know, I'll never understand why you humans keep insisting on going into the water.”

“I don’t know about other people,” Ruby said, “but the reason I do is because I want to see your world.”

“I just want you safe,” Weiss replied. “I found you half dead, floating on a piece of wood—by the way, any new memories today?”

Ruby shook her head. “No, but I don’t think I mind too much.” The reached the shore, but instead of stepping onto dry land, Ruby stayed put next to Weiss in the shallows. “I think I'm content not knowing who I was…”

“Ruby…”

“I’m happy here,” Ruby said. “I’m happy with you.”

“You need to go back to your people eventually,” Weiss said as she rested her head on Ruby’s lap. “You humans are like sardines. You need to be in a school to thrive.” 

“I’m fine on my own,” Ruby shrugged. She ran a hand through Weiss' hair and plucked out a little crab she found tangled in the strands. “Oh, hello.”

“Hm?” 

“Found a friend,” Ruby laughed, showing Weiss the crab.

“Oh, so that’s what I kept feeling back there,” Weiss said, scratching the back of her head to check for more just in case. “Thank you.”

“Can I eat it?” Ruby asked with a devilish grin.

“You most certainly cannot!” Weiss shrieked. She quickly snatched the crab out of Ruby’s hand and tossed it back into the water. 

“Aw, c'mon,” Ruby pouted.

“Fish are friends,” Weiss hissed. 

“That was a crab, not a fish,” Ruby clarified before lying flat on her back. “Weiss, not everyone can live off kelp, algae, and plankton.”

“Fish. Are.  _ Friends,”  _ Weiss repeated. 

“But sometimes food?” Ruby added in a hopeful but teasing tone.

“No,” Weiss deadpanned. 

“Oh come on!” Ruby whined. “Just one little fishy.”

Weiss climbed on top of Ruby and loomed above her, razor sharp teeth on full display. “Then how about I eat just one little human in exchange.”

“You have really pretty teeth,” Ruby said, completely unfazed by her lover’s empty threat. “How do you keep them so clean?”

“Wha—Ruby!” Weiss blushed. 

“What?” Ruby laughed. “I'm sorry, but you eating a human? I just can’t.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Weiss snarled.

Ruby cupped Weiss' cheek and said, “Because you’re kind, Weiss. You saved me and brought me to dry land when you could have just as easily let me drown.”

“I wasn’t… I couldn’t leave you alone like that,” Weiss frowned. 

“See? Too kind,” Ruby smiled. 

“Too kind?” Weiss growled, her clear blue eyes darkening. “We’ll see who’s 'too kind' the next time you go swimming with an open cut.”

“Guess I'll drown then,” Ruby snickered.

“I guess you will,” Weiss huffed, pushing herself back into the ocean. 


	19. Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Red  
> Writer: lostmydiezel (LostMyShip)  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostmydiezel

As the team leader, Ruby was usually expected to have the sharpest, most flexible of minds, even in the most unexpected of situations. Quickly assess the situation, determine the best tactics, and drive the rest to rest execute. Rinse and repeat.

That flow has worked successfully time after time battling Grimm during and after her time at Beacon. ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ as the saying goes. As such, Ruby has extended the use of the same flow in the various situations in life outside of hunting. 

Homework? No problem! Gauge the level of difficulty and reading required. Find the laziest, fastest way to do it. Submit and expect a ‘B’, or on some days that unicorn called an ‘A’.

Grimm? Easy peasy. Count how many and divide by four. Determine the least (or most if she’s high on sugar) number of super awesome team combinations to use. Slay away!

Presently though, that same flow is stuck. In retrospect, it’s probably better to say that it won’t even start. The thing is, Ruby can’t even calmly assess the situation presented before her. 

The only thing she saw was red. 

Weiss Schnee was presently talking to a tall, very good looking Huntsman from Vacuo. Jesper Lendst, the team leader of JEST, was visiting Atlas Academy as part of a leadership training conference for all active Huntsmen and Huntresses. His family was also known to be fairly wealthy and Jesper has known Weiss since she was twelve when he was first invited to her birthday party. 

Ruby learned as much as she tried to insert herself into their conversation earlier. Tried, was the operative word. Weiss tactfully managed to maneuver the conversation so Ruby would find herself excluded. She also noticed that Weiss purposely ignored introducing her beyond her teamposition and her more significant position by Weiss’s side. 

Since then, she’s retreated herself in a corner in the banquet hall to sulk and stare.

“You know, red isn’t very becoming of you right now.” Blake Belladona slid quietly next to her. She offered Ruby a glass of wine and raised an eyebrow at the scene that held Ruby’s full attention. “They’ve been talking for awhile now.”

Ruby absently took the offered glass and finished its contents in a single gulp. “Catching up, or so I was told.”

“And that bothers you why?”

“It shouldn’t,” Ruby sighed and took a deep breath. “Ask me again in a day and I’m pretty sure I’ll just laugh about that comment.”

“But right now?” Blake grabbed another glass of wine from a passing server and swapped it for Ruby’s empty glass. 

“We had an argument,” Ruby recounted. “Something stupid. But it was my fault, well mostly. But it looks like I’m paying for it.” She sipped her fresh glass, the bitter aftertaste of the wine slowly seeping into her senses.

“So she’s ignoring you on purpose?” The faunus asked, her tone doubtful. “Weiss can be a lot of things, but her moments of hurtful snark are few and far between nowadays.”

“I know.” Ruby sighed and looked down. “I think this is just me wallowing in self-pity and deflecting frustrations. I’m bothered but I absolutely know that I shouldn’t and have no right to be.”

Blake raised a hand to Ruby’s shoulder and gave her a light squeeze. “What was it about? The argument.”

Ruby stared at the wine glass in her hand. “You know the hunt I just came back from?” She shifted and turned back to watching Weiss. “She wanted to come along. I pushed back since she just came back from a business trip. She was absolutely exhausted from dealing with a close of a new company partnership.”

“The scouting mission? Three days at most to gauge a potential hive in the making,” Blake recalled. “It ended up being nothing, right?”

Ruby nodded and glanced around to avoid Blake’s gaze. “I told her that by going alone, I’d breeze through the mission faster and come back sooner.” She finished her second glass of wine. “Three days, tops. She wasn’t happy but agreed finally. But then my scroll broke on the first day.”

“And?” her teammate prodded.

“Sync ended up picking the same mission. We were together for three days.”

“Oh,” Blake’s eyes widened. “I see.”

\----

A few hours ago…

“Sync.” Weiss’s tone was flat and her eyes narrowed. There was no mistaking that tone though, that she was upset.

“Nothing happened,” Ruby explained. “My scroll broke on the first day so I used hers sometimes to record findings.” She eyed her girlfriend cautiously.

Weiss pulled up her scroll, pressed a few buttons, and turned it towards Ruby. A picture of a sleeping Ruby with Sync smiling and snuggled next to her flashed before her eyes. The blond-haired, voluptuous Huntress also had an arm wrapped by Ruby’s waist. Ruby realized the photo must have been taken after she finally dozed off after finishing an exhausting night watch.

Fuck.

“Weiss, I swear-”

“You said it was a solo mission.”

“There was a mix up. We apparently both got assigned the same time,” Ruby explained. “She called the mission administrator and he confirmed the mistake. Given that the mission already started and we both were already there, the administrator just changed it to have two enlisted Huntresses.”

“Fine,” Weiss returned sharply. “Explain, then, why you chose to not inform me that she was with you.”

Ruby noticed Weiss’s left hand close around the hilt of Myrtenaster. She winced. “I didn’t want to upset you. Remember what happened the last time Sync was around! You went through two full dust cartridges last New Year’s Eve! We also had to pay for those damages. Well you did, at least!”

“I don’t trust that woman when it comes to you.” Weiss grit her teeth. “I trust you. But why not just tell me? I had to find out from her and this photo isn’t helping your case whatsoever.”

‘One that was definitely sent with specific intentions,’ Ruby grimaced in frustration. “I never knew she took one. I purposely picked my scouting location away from her during the entire mission. I barely said a word to her.”

“You could have just told me either way,” Weiss’s voice rose slightly. 

“But I just thought you’d overreact!” Ruby countered. “And look, you clearly are overreacting!”

“Oh, I’m overreact--” Weiss stopped. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “The convention’s inaugural events will begin soon,” she added again in an eerily flat tone. A few seconds of silence passed.

Ruby was confused. “What?” She then watched Weiss as she walked towards the door to exit the room. She started after her. “Wait, Wei--”

Weiss didn’t acknowledge her call and left the room without another word.

The dark-haired Huntress sighed. Things are far from okay and it’s going to be a long day.

\----

Presently...

“Clearly not okay,” Blake remarked as Ruby finished recounting what happened. “Wrong thing to say, by the way.”

Ruby frowned and nodded. “Yeah, after replaying that in my head. Cleary stupid.” She moved from the wall she was leaning on and started towards the exit to one of the hall terraces. “I need some fresh air. You coming?”

Blake shook her head. “My scroll’s buzzing so I think your sister’s looking for me.” She reached for Ruby’s empty glass. “You should probably stop at two. As for Weiss, being apologetic would be best.”

Ruby let out a small laugh. “Jealousy is definitely not my kind of thing. Not the kind of red I’d like to be associated with. I'll absolutely do my best in getting this situation cleared up.” After Blake left to find Yang, Ruby headed towards the nearest exit that led to an outdoor terrace. Another server passed by her path and she found herself grabbing her third glass of wine.

A healthy blast of the afternoon sun hit her as she entered the terrace that she was relieved to find empty. Summers in Atlas were far more tolerable than the intense temperatures in Vacuo around this time of the year. On recalling Vacuo, Ruby felt a slight tightness in her chest as she recalled the image she had of Weiss earlier. 

She sipped her wine slowly and half-sat over the white terrace railings. The view before her opened to the wildly rich green lawn of the conference center’s gardens. A mild breeze disturbed her shoulder length hair and her cape, and the pleasant sound of birds settled in a nearby foliage filled her ears. All in all, the gentle environment gave her reprieve and afforded her time to think about how she was going to get Weiss to forgive her. Nearly thirty minutes of tranquility passed before she heard a slight rustle behind her.

“The wine isn’t that good.” Weiss walked up to Ruby’s side by the terrace railing. She avoided looking at Ruby however, and instead just kept her gaze on the gardens before her. “At least three glasses already?”

Ruby inhaled sharply, the subtle scent of Weiss’s perfume tingling her nose. She also felt a slight buzz to her semblance, the alcohol making its presence known. “I’m sorry,” she mustered. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Well, I needed to do a lot of it. The wine helped?”

“Not the best combination for you. Wine and thinking,” Weiss remarked. She finally turned to face Ruby, exhaling an impatient breath. “I’m sorry about ear-”

“Wait,” Ruby quickly raised her hand. She straightened herself and carefully reached for Weiss’s right hand. “I’m the one who’s sorry. I know how much Sync likes to get under your skin. And even though you have absolutely nothing to worry about, I need to be better at just making sure she doesn’t give you a reason to get upset.”

Weiss squeezed Ruby’s hand black slightly. A relieved sigh escaped Ruby’s lips. “I know. I just really missed you and we haven’t spent much time together lately. Seeing her by your side, especially when you’re vulnerable, well...that’s my place.”

Ruby raised Weiss’s hand to her lips and dropped a small kiss. “And no one else’s, I promise. Even if you didn’t claim it, I’m sure Yang and Blake would happily chase anyone else off. Remember what Blake did to Sync after her stunt?”

A small laugh escaped Weiss’s lips as she stepped closer to Ruby. “I never expected her to recruit Zwei in scaring her off. Interesting how far those two have come in terms of tolerating each other.”

Ruby’s face broke into a smile as she moved her arms to slide around Weiss. She brushed her lips against her partner’s forehead. “What happened to Jesper?”

Weiss closed her eyes and hummed, leaning more into Ruby’s warmth. “I’m not sure. The moment I realized you weren’t watching us anymore, I lost interest in continuing any conversation with him,” she quietly mumbled.

“So you were trying to make me jealous,” the red-cloaked Huntress stated. “It worked. Blake came by and mentioned red wasn’t a good color on me. The nerve.”

The platinum-haired heiress laughed, vastly improving Ruby’s mood. “It’s your only color, my love. The best one. Just not when you’re jealous. That’s my fault.”

“I love you too,” Ruby remarked. She tilted Weiss’s face upward as her own descended. “And I happen to think blue’s best for me.” 

Weiss met Ruby halfway and captured the red lips she loved so much. Her grip on the signature red cloak tightened. “Mm,” she hummed against Ruby’s lips. “I’m still very much biased for your red.”


	20. Uber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Uber  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse

Maybe it’s unusual

maybe it’s scary.

Some paths be crossing,

and they feel so heavy. 

A dream.

A star.

Your white bangs cascade

your sliver scar.

And beating hearts

thinking minds

take an unruly turn

Vest to this journey array

Our time has come

you’re at your stop—

May you see this Rose again.


	21. Betray

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Betray  
> Writer: The Great Weiss Shark

Ruby checked her reflection in the department store window she was waiting by and gently brushed her fringe until it sat just right. She also checked her makeup in her compact mirror and reapplied her lipstick when she noticed some had wiped off. 

“There,” Ruby smiled, “perfect.”

She wanted to look her absolute cutest today and pulled out all the stops. She even bought a new dress to impress her girlfriend—her girlfriend! Ruby could hardly contain her excitement. Weiss was everything Ruby dreamed of as a little girl. Their relationship had progressed much faster than she anticipated, but she was enjoying the ride. Weiss was the best. She was fun, charming, insanely smart, sweet, and totally dreamy beyond compare. Ruby could stare into Weiss' eyes for an eternity.

A happy little tune played out in Ruby’s purse, snapping her out of her fantasy and drawing her attention away. She grumbled to herself, cursing the interruption, before slapping on a fake smile and answering the call.

“Hey, sis!” she said as cheerful as she could. 

“Ruby,” grumbled the voice on the other end. “Video call n _ ow _ .”

“But I'm out at the moment.”

“I don’t care.”

Ruby rolled her eyes and did as she was ordered. “What can I do for you?” A woman with long blonde hair and tired violet eyes appeared on screen. “Woof, Yang, are you alright?”

“'Alright'?” Yang hissed, her nasty scowl deepening. “Do I look 'alright' to you?!”

“Er,” Ruby leaned away from the screen, “I don’t think you want me to answer that.”

“Ruby!”

“Whaaaaat?!” Ruby cried out.

“Where have you been?!” Yang shouted. “Why didn’t you report in last night?!”

“I’ve been working, Yang,” Ruby answered with a straight face. “I was busy all night. I’m sorry I didn’t check in with you.”

“You could have texted or called.”

“I was  _ preoccupied _ ,” Ruby replied with a slight blush. 

“With what?” Yang asked, noticing the slight change in Ruby’s voice and the uncharacteristic blush on her face. “What’s going on, Ruby?”

Ruby shyly glanced around to make sure no one was watching and casually plugged in her earphones. “Like I said, I was 'working' all night.”

“Did you gather any new intel?” 

Ruby nodded her head. “Loads.”

“Well… aren’t you going to tell me?” Yang asked through tightly gritted teeth.

“I told you I'm out at the moment.”

“Then get to a secure location!” Yang roared, slamming her fist down. 

“I can’t do that,” Ruby said. 

“What the hell is so important that you can’t do what you’re told—and is that  _ lipstick _ ?”

“Uh, yeah,” Ruby sheepishly grinned, “does it suit me?”

Yang took a deep, calming breath and exhaled through her nose. “Ruby, you hate makeup,” she said in her calmest tone. “Why are you wearing it?”

“Um,” Ruby shyly twirled a lock of hair, “I’m waiting for my date to pick me up.”

“Date?” That got Yang’s attention. “What kind of 'date'?”

“Y'know, a date-date with handholding and stuff…”

“Why are you going on a 'date' when you have a mission to accomplish?”

Ruby narrowed her eyes. “I  _ am  _ working, Yang.”

“What?” Yang blinked.

“I’ve learned a lot of things since getting hired at Fleur-de-Lis,” Ruby explained. “I’ve managed to make 'friends' and  _ joined _ their inner circle.”

“Ruby, your mission was to observe them from afar not…” Yang pinched the bridge of her nose. “Don’t get too close to them. Remember what they did.”

“I know, Yang,” Ruby smiled. “And I am being careful. I've actually managed to get on my boss' good side. No one’s going to hurt me.”

“How sure about that are you?”

“Well, um…” Ruby blushed, “they’ve actually been really nice and welcoming. Coco—she’s the big boss—she drove me home when Weiss couldn’t.”

“Who’s 'Weiss'?”

“She’s…” Ruby pursed her lips and mulled over the words she practiced, but she decided to toss that all out and just tell her handler the truth. “She’s my girlfriend.”

“What?!” Yang screamed. “Ruby, you don’t have time for relationships!”

“Relax, Yang. I know it sounds bad, but Weiss is my…” Ruby brought her scroll close and whispered, “my main control subject. It's my 'relationship' with her that’s allowed me to go virtually unnoticed. I’ve also been using her for various other tests.”

“Like what?”

“Oh!” Ruby instantly beamed at Yang and said, “I tested my garlic pasta recipe on her—you know the one you refuse to try?”

Yang blinked. “That’s evil.”

“I’m also meeting her at the mall for lunch before going to the aquarium.”

“Water… Ruby, holy shit…”

“I'm also wearing this totally cute sundress!” Ruby said, holding her scroll out an arm’s length away. “What do you think?”

“Your neck is exposed,” Yang pointed out in horror. “Ruby!”

“I know, I know,” Ruby said, rolling her eyes, “'don't show off too much skin.' I'm not a baby anymore, sis. I can show off a little skin.”

“Ruby…”

“Okay, seriously, admit this dress is  _ super  _ cute,” Ruby grinned. “I'll be totally irresistible.”

“Ruby, why are you putting yourself in so much danger?”

Ruby tilted the screen up and pointed to the security camera right above her. “Weiss is totally dreamy, Yang. You’re gunna love her. She’s so smart and talented, plus she’s always helping me at work.”

“Valuable information or not… your safety is my top most priority,” Yang said. “As your older sister it’s my job to protect you.”

“I know,” Ruby smiled. “I love you too.”

“Don’t let her take you anywhere secluded.”

Ruby blinked. “Oh, uh… we actually have plans to go… back to her place after our… date.”

“Uh,” Yang's jaw dropped, “how far have you taken this 'relationship'?”

“Ruby!” 

Ruby looked up from her scroll and said “sorry, gotta go! My date's here; wish me luck” before ending the call. 

“Hi, Weiss,” Ruby said with a big smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t keep you waiting did I?” Weiss asked as she took Ruby’s hand and kissed her on the cheek.

“Nope!” Ruby chirped. “Just got here a few minutes ago.”

“Oh,” Weiss smiled. “You look absolutely amazing, by the way. I love what you did with your hair and that dress… I am one lucky girl.”

Ruby blushed and shyly tucked some hair behind her ear. “You really think so?”

“Lying is a sin, Ruby,” Weiss said, caressing Ruby’s neck. “You look so beautiful.”

“W-Well, you look beautifuller—I-I mean not fuller. You don’t look fuller, but more… more beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Weiss chuckled. “Are you hungry?”

“Oh! Oh, I’m starving,” Ruby said, quickly trying to push past the awkward greeting. “How about you? Hungry?  _ Thirsty _ ?”

Weiss quirked an eyebrow. “I could eat.”

“Great!” Ruby clapped. “I can’t wait for you to try this one place—I still can’t believe you’ve never had a burger.”

“Hm, maybe you should get the burger and I'll order something else. Maybe a smoothie,” Weiss said with a wry grin. “I’m honestly more interested in how people don’t dislocate their jaws trying to eat one…”

“You just suck on the straw, Weiss,” Ruby laughed. “It isn’t rocket science.”

“No, you dolt!” Weiss huffed. “The burger!”

“Oh, I don’t want a burger,” Ruby said. “I just wanted to see you struggle.”

“I will not take this betrayal lightly,” Weiss muttered coldly. “But if it will make you happy… then can you please just promise to order a small one for me?”

“Aw, Weiss,” Ruby smiled as she threw herself into Weiss' arms, “I'll order you a tiny burger for your tiny mouth.”

“I am going to bite you someday,” Weiss muttered.

Ruby tensed a little and buried her face into Weiss' neck. “Just be gentle when you do.”

“What was that?” Weiss asked, patting Ruby’s head.

“N-Nothing!” Ruby said with a big grin as she pulled Weiss into the mall. “C'mon, let’s eat and go see some fishies!”

“Slow down, you dolt! There’s no need to rush,” Weiss huffed in annoyance, taking her sunglasses off. “I want to enjoy my day with you.”

“Sorry,” Ruby blushed. “I kind of forget to take things slow sometimes.”

Weiss tugged Ruby back and kissed her. “It’s okay, I like fast.”

“But you just told me to slow down.”

“Ruby,” Weiss said, “you’re ruining the moment.”

“But—”

“Moment. Over.”


	22. Two Dolls and a Bull

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Chibi  
> Writer: Winter1112

Adam Taurus knows he screwed up. Hatching a new brilliant plan to recapture Blake had been the easy part. Even the first part of the plan had gone off without a hitch, thanks to a handy semblance one of his subordinates has along with the well documented habit of two of her teammates having a standing dinner date every Friday night at the Taste of Heaven diner. But, that is also where things went completely and horribly wrong.

"Are you not listening to me?!" Weiss Schnee asks demandingly as he keeps pacing. 

"I think he finally tuned you out, Snowflake." Ruby comments idly.

"He had best stop! I will not be ignored!"

"Shut up already!" He screams at the small cage holding his two captives. He had lost four of his best warriors to the Reaper alone, he and Weiss both staring in shock and he in horror as the rabbit faunus hadn't aimed a single blow to wound or maim.

The Red Reaper of Vale had viciously killed four of his very best warriors in a matter of seconds to protect her White Princess. But the fifth one had gotten extremely lucky with a well aimed shock dust grenade that hit her directly in the back. She had gone down fighting, but had been stopped.

But then the wolf faunus had leapt to her girlfriend's defense, her own rapier soon stained with the blood of two more of his men before he himself stepped in and stopped her. But it's all worth it, as he now has his bait.

"Hey! Dickless!" Weiss yells out. "Just wait until I get out of here! I'm going to fucking geld you for this!"

"Language!" Ruby roars as she glares at the chibi wolf faunus, who glares back.

Oh yes, his operative's ability to transfer a person's mind into an inanimate object worked like a charm. But his operative didn't warn him that it didn't just move their minds, but even their souls. A very important tidbit of information he needed to know before they had actually done this.

"Last chance, Taurus!" Weiss shrieks. "Change me back now!"

Choosing two nondescript sack dolls had been a horrible choice. Not only do the sack dolls now look like the rabbit and wolf faunus women, but they still have their auras and semblances. So they're both loud, obnoxious, and dangerous! Extremely dangerous! It had taken almost his entire remaining crew of White Fang agents to get them barred inside the dog kennel specially designed for hunt trained dogs, and even it was barely holding against the not even foot tall sack wolf girl of terror that is Weiss Schnee!

"Release us now you half wit!" Weiss shrieks as her tiny hands shake the bars of the cage. 

"Wow, I look like that?" Ruby asks as she ignores Weiss to point at her actual body, which a kidnapped human doctor is keeping alive on life support. "I'm pretty sexy with long hair!"

Weiss looks at Ruby and smiles fondly at her. "Of course you do, my dolt. Now do you see why I was so pushy about it?"

"Good point. Hey, bull boy? You gonna let us out of here or what?" Ruby asks. "I'm getting bored."

"Shut up already!" Adam roars as he rubs his temples. "Why aren't you two scared for your lives or something?!"

"We've been through worse." Ruby declares calmly.

"Indeed. We share a dorm with that brute, Yang." The sock heiress adds with a smirk. "You haven't lived in a state of pure terror until she loses the map."

"Yup." The tiny Sock Reaper agrees. "Took us a month to find our way back to Beacon the last time."

He can feel the vein in his forehead throbbing. He can feel and see one of his eyelids twitching violently. He can even feel his heart pounding in his chest violently enough to almost convince him it's about to explode. But before he can grab Wilt and finish them off just to get them to shut the hell up, one of his lieutenants, a chameleon faunus named Ilia enters and clears her throat. "Blake's here. She wants to talk."

"Finally!" He snarls angrily as he grabs Wilt and Blush so violently he snaps the holders off the wall.

"Temper temper!" Weiss calls out. "Stress isn't good for you!"

"You should eat a cookie! That always makes me feel better!" Ruby adds.

"I thought my hugs always make you feel better?" Weiss asks slyly.

"If he tries to hug you, he'll be wearing his stupid weapons wrapped around his head." She replies with a growl.

"I thought you loved me!" The heiress pouts.

Ruby's silver colored button eyes flare angrily. "Fine! I'll ram em both right up his-"

Slamming the door, Adam rushes down the hall quickly. The sooner he can get rid of them the better!

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Blake paces nervously as Cinder and Neo sit nearby, the fennic fox faunus and cat faunus chatting silently via sign language. She hadn't been surprised when the two of them immediately tagged along with her when she informed the rest of the gathered teams of RWBY, JNPR, CMEN, and CFVY of the text she got from Adam.

Cinder and Neo are especially protective of the Reaper, having been her best friends since day care. Even Weiss got put through the grinder when she and Ruby first started dating, the white wolf even going so far as to shave her head and having it professionally waxed to a shine to prove her seriousness about being with Ruby. That more than earning their seal of approval as well as their growing friendship. But, Blake also knows they'll kill Adam over Ruby and by default Weiss since she's dating their best bestie. 

There's still a persistent rumor that Ruby has in fact killed someone over Cinder back in Signal, and if the news is correct much more recently for Weiss. But the panther doesn't even want to think about that right now. Adam has her teammates and sisters in arms, and she can only hope her insider can help Neo and Cinder free them while she herself keeps Adam busy.

"Here he comes." Cinder declares as they all hear Adam swearing louder and louder as he approaches, her surprisingly long ears twitching in her amusement. Blake just rolls her eyes as she catches the constant thread of foul language that would even give the foul tempered and fouler mouthed heiress a run for her sizable trust fund.

_ "What's his problem?" _ Neo signs as she looks at them both.

"Weiss." Cinder replies with a smirk. "Only that mouthy little bitch can drive someone to that point of fury with her attitude."

_ "Or Ruby. You know how she gets when she doesn't have a cookie every fifteen minutes." _ The ice cream themed girl points out.

"Ladies, can we focus?" Blake calls out. "He did send me a picture of them in hospital beds, which means they might be badly injured." She adds.

"Yeah, that picture better be a fake." Cinder growls angrily, Neo making angry mute girl noises next to her. 

"Such caring, Blake. A pity it's wasted on a pair of traitors." Adam sneers as he enters the room, ignoring the bigger threats to focus on her. Good, after all she's the willing bait to save her friends.

"Oh look, it's the sexually frustrated bull." Cinder declares with a smirk, while Neo nods in agreement. 

"What do you want Adam?" The panther declares as she rolls her eyes at the twosome's verbal and silent antics while waving at them to stop

"Why my love, I simply want you to return to the ranks." Adam replies smoothly, making her skin crawl. Goddess but she even hates the sound of his voice. "Return to my side right now, and all will be forgiven."

"Ahem." Cinder clears her throat to get his attention. "Ruby and Weiss?"

"What will it be, Blake? Will you rejoin me, or will you be sharing in their fate?" He asks, making a critical error in judgement: Cinder hates being ignored.

Blake doesn't even flinch when Adam gets blasted a moment later by a massive fireball from the fennic fox, the faunus woman herself already wreathed in flames and approaching him with a look that screams she has nothing but very ill intentions for the bull faunus.

"I'm sorry Adam, what was that?" She asks calmly as she checks her scroll. 

Adam begins to scream, while Neo cheers Cinder on silently. Unlike him, she's learned the art of patience thanks to having Yang as a partner for the past two years. And get Yang around Nora? She and Ren are driven insane by the antics of their partners.

"Blake!" Ilia calls out as she stands by the entry to the hallway, a smile on her face. Walking forward, she passes the slaughter of Adam calmly while opening her arms. 

"Hey! Finally!" The two women hug before kissing deeply, Adam's screaming growing louder as the enraged fox focuses her assault on his cranium. "I've missed you."

"Definitely. Ummm, shouldn't you stop her now?" Ilia asks as she avoids looking at the systematic demolition of the now former White Fang leader.

"Let's walk away." Blake replies as she keeps an arm around her now revealed girlfriend's waist. "He made a huge error in judgement."

"Oh?" The chameleon faunus raises an eyebrow.

Blake nods. "He kidnapped Ruby and Weiss to get to me. He was doomed the second he put his hands on them."

"Oh. Oh crud." Ilia exclaims as they reach a barred door. "By the way, we have a slight problem."

Neo, who had trailed behind them, tilts her head as her tail waves in amusement.  _ "What's that?" _ She asks as the panther translates.

Ilia opens the door and points. "We need to find the guy who did that to them. He ran for it as soon as the screaming started."

"Well it's about time!" Weiss yells angrily. "What did you do, stop for a quick fuck?!"

"Weiss! Language!" Ruby yells tiredly. "Hey Blakey, can you get us out now?"

"I… but… what the fuck is this shit?!" The normally rational and levelheaded faunus woman declares as she stares in shock at the two sack faunus girls.

But all of them are startled when they hear Neo's squeal of delight. The excited cat faunus charges forward to the cage, rips the door open, and scoops the two living chibi sized dolls out to cuddle them, her tail waving happily.

"I would complain, but I feel oddly safe now." Weiss admits quietly, getting a giggle out of her girlfriend.

"I told you Neo gives awesome hugs!" The Reaper replies as she hugs back happily, her tiny little cottontail wagging in her own delight.

Neo starts to purr as she keeps holding the two closely, her body posture of course screaming warningly of death to anyone who thinks they can get to the tiny white rose couple in her arms.

"Do you need to call anyone?" Ilia asks, bringing her mind back from its odd thought of the fact that Ruby and Weiss do in fact look really cute being held by the multicolored tabby cat faunus.

"Yeah, I better call Professor Goodwitch." She admits as she takes her scroll out of her pocket. "She's never going to believe this."

"She went to Beacon with my mom. It's pretty amazing what Auntie Glynda can believe." Ruby calls out happily as she now cuddles Weiss and Neo both.

The panther smiles, having grown up listening to her mother's wild stories of her own days at Beacon as part of a team composed of Cinder's parents, her own mother, and Weiss's mother. "Point to you Ruby." She agrees as she pushes send and waits.

And when the deputy Headmistress of Beacon answers her scroll, her smile turns impish. "Hey Professor? You're never going to believe this…"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"Three weeks! It took them three weeks to find that stupid moose!" Weiss grumbles as she watches her taller girlfriend put the two sack figures on a shelf full of other momentos of their almost two years worth of shared adventures with each other and others. The two tiny sack figures still look like them, right down to the tiny outfits Coco Adel made for them when Goodwitch informed them that they were still violating dress code. Granted, it was a bit difficult to take the older huntress seriously considering she was laughing hysterically at their plight. But, looking back at it now?

All this is is just another example of the never boring lives of team RWBY and friends.

"There we go!" Ruby declares happily as she steps back smiling. "Another interesting story to tell out children when we're older and have about a dozen or so."

Weiss begins to choke on the coffee she had been drinking when Ruby made her declaration, prompting the Reaper to come to her Princess's assistance. "A dozen or so?! Are you insane?!"

"Well the only reason why mom and dad didn't have more kids was due to him dying, so yeah." She shrugs as her ears lay flat on her head. "Mom always says she wanted more than just me."

"Ruby, just an odd question: How in the ten unholy hells are we supposed to even have children?!" Weiss yells at her. "We're both females! And I certainly can't afford that particular specialized dust on what little we make from our hunts!"

"Oh that?" Ruby blushes a deep red in response. "I kinda have that covered too."

"Oh really? Do tell then, My Dolt. Surprise me well enough, and perhaps I'll even consider finally acquiescing to locking the door." Weiss replies with a smirk as she leans back in her chair. 

Ruby's response is simply to loosen her sweatpants so they fall to the floor, Weiss's eyes widening in surprise as she looks from the Reaper to the sack dolls and back. "That's…"

Ruby blushes in embarrassment. "Trust me, I'm so glad those things aren't anatomically correct. That would have been really hard to explain."

"Ruby?" The Princess calls out.

"Yes Weiss?" The Reaper replies with a wince.

"You do realize I now love you so much you will never be rid of me, correct?" She declares happily. "You're my wildest and most favorite fantasy come true!"

"Ehhh?!" The rabbit faunus exclaims in surprise, her foot long ears standing straight up.

"Lock the fucking door." Weiss orders firmly as she smiles lustily, her tail a blur. "You definitely win this one, and I am a woman of my word."

The two sack dolls are witness to just what happens next, once the door itself is locked and a dresser slid in front of it for added security. And in their distraction, they miss Chibi Ruby smirking as she winks at Chibi Weiss, who swats at her despite the smile on her own face...


	23. Cake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cake  
> Writer: Matchappreciated  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matchappreciated  
> A/N: Fluff for life.

Weiss had planned out the perfect first kiss. Unlike most people, she wasn’t going to wait until that moment just happened. No, she had thought long and hard about her scheme and she was determined to make the moment go off without a hitch.

Her first step was to get Blake and Yang out of the room which was probably the easiest part. A few well mentioned keywords and they were gone.

“…have a nice time! Take as much time as you need. Bye.” Weiss shut the door behind them and leaned her back against it. She surveyed the room and thought about what needed to be done next. Set the scene.

She brought out a small table for two and covered it with a pristine white tablecloth and some candles that were dust powered. Unless it was part of ammunition, Ruby and fire weren’t a good combination despite her living with Yang her entire life.

Next was the small cake. She had really wanted to make it herself, but after several disastrously failed attempts, she found a nearby bakery that had a large selection of pastries to choose from. Luckily, she was able to find something that suited both her and Ruby’s tastes. Beside each plate was a collection of forks and spoons, way more than was necessary for cake. But that was part of her plan.

Weiss murmured as she went through her mental checklist, “Romantic atmosphere? Check. Cake? Check. Utensils? Check. There was something else I…Ruby!” She had completely forgotten to message Ruby about their plans!

Grabbing her scroll, she quickly asked Ruby to come to the room. Within seconds she received a reply saying she’d be right there. The heart emoji she got seconds after that more than buoyed Weiss’ confidence in her plan.

Taking a deep breath, she went over the plan one last time. While Ruby could be incredibly observant sometimes, she could also be completely oblivious. Neither of these were conducive to a perfect first kiss. So, she decided the best way to make that happen was to keep Ruby distracted as she took control. If Weiss left her on her own, who knows what could happen! She could catch on to what the white-haired girl was trying to do and alter the script, or she could end up doing the wrong thing at the precise wrong time like those old slapstick vids Yang always watched. Therefore, it was  _ vital _ that Weiss distracts Ruby enough for her strategy to be successful.

And what was her strategy you might ask? Well, she was going to give Ruby fake, Atlas cake-eating etiquette lessons. This would work two-fold. One, cake. Enough said. Two, Ruby would be trying to follow along with Weiss’ purposefully unclear and outlandish instructions. Then, when she least expects it, Weiss would swoop in and plant a kiss on the redhead’s lips. It would be flawless.

Hearing the fast footsteps coming down the hallway, she took one last deep breath.

“Hi Weiss!” It was the only thing she heard before Ruby clung on to her with a tight hug. Sure, they’d confessed to each other and she had received hugs plenty of times, but now that the two were combined, her nerves were vibrating faster than Nora’s sloth impression. Which was to say, not slow at all.

“You said we were going to do something together.” Ruby asked excitedly. “Are we finally going on a second date?”

It was almost impossible to say no to that hopeful face so Weiss quickly changed part of her plan. People go to cafes on dates right? This wouldn’t be much different. Just the two of them eating cake and talking, maybe holding hands, kissing… “Yes, I have a table ready for us and some cake.” Turning the hand holding idea into reality, she grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her into one of the chairs. “Sit.”

“Oo cake. And candles. And a table. It looks really nice Weiss!”

Murmuring her thanks, Weiss put her plan into action. “So Ruby, since you’re here and we have some cake, I was thinking I could teach you how to eat cake properly.”

“Huh?” Ruby tilted her head in confusion. “Don’t you just like, stick a fork in it and eat it? I mean, I  _ did _ used to use my hands but that was like a long time ago.”

“First, I saw you and Nora having a cake eating contest the other day. It wasn’t that long ago. Second, this is Atlas etiquette. If we ever go to a party or ball you will need to know this.” She didn’t like being dishonest with Ruby but desperate times called for desperate measures and the perfect first kiss was definitely important.

“Oh, ok. So, which one do I start with? This pointy one or the spoon with spikes?” She held up one of the utensils and squinted at it as though it held the meaning of life.

“Neither. Now, the most basic thing to remember is to have your slice laying on its side. Only novice bakers serve their cake standing upright. This allows the layers to be presented in a better manner.” That sounded like a reasonable explanation, right?

“I guess that makes sense…” Ruby said hesitantly but knocked her cake over. “Like this?” She added with an expectant gaze towards Weiss.

Goodness. How can one look make her want to abandon all her hard work? She wanted to lean over right now and give Ruby a reward. For knocking over a slice of cake! No, if she leaned forward now, Ruby might try to feed her a piece of her cake…and that wouldn’t be that bad…using Ruby’s fork…No! Stick to the plan.

Reaching over to pat Ruby’s hand for some contact, Weiss approved her girlfriend’s plate. “Good. Next, grab the other fork, no, the other one. Yes, that one. Now, starting from the back-”

“Aww I always save that part for last!” Ruby whined. “It has the most icing and it’s the best part.”

“Starting from the back, gently insert the tines between the cake and the frosting, then pull it out and repeat all the way around the piece.”

After giving her ridiculous instruction, she sat back and watched Ruby concentrate. Her tongue was partially sticking out the side of her mouth and her forehead had a cute little wrinkle in it.

Deciding that this could be a perfect time for their kiss since Ruby was so distracted, Weiss leaned over. Closer, closer, almost there. “Ruby,” she whispered before closing her eyes. One more inch and... nothing.

Opening her eyes, she saw Ruby bent down retrieving the fork she had dropped. “Sorry Weiss, you scared me. Did you want something?” Her eyes were as innocent as ever. She had no idea what had almost happened.

Weiss let out a breath and relaxed back in her chair. “Oh. No. You’re doing great Ruby.”

“Thanks Weiss. You’re the best!” She said before flying over for another hug. When she was drawing back Weiss could almost swear she felt warm lips brushing over her cheek. But Ruby went back to separating her icing from her cake without saying or doing anything different; Weiss did the same.

Each of their plates eventually had a slice of cake and a mound of detached icing. Weiss had used that time to refocus on her plan. Apparently, there wasn’t enough distraction and Ruby had been oblivious enough to ruin her first attempt.

“The next thing we need to do is use that flat spoon and pick up a piece of the cake. Careful. And with the other hand use the knife and gently spread the icing over the piece.” Weiss demonstrated in a way reminiscent of buttering a roll.

It took Ruby multiple tries, dropping the cake many times, but she managed to recoat the bite in icing. “I did it! Weiss look! I’ll be an Atlas cake eater in no time!”

Ruby was very distracted Weiss noted. Now would be the perfect time to lean in for attempt number two. Inching forward, the white-haired girl put her hand on the back of her girlfriend’s chair and-

_ BEEP BEEP BEEP. _

Of  _ course _ her scroll would go off at this moment. It could have waited just a few more seconds but someone had to message her at this exact second. Giving Ruby a small smile in response to her questioning look, she pulled out her scroll. Whoever the sender was was in deep trouble. Yang.

_ Yang: How’s your date going? I bet it’s a piece of cake. Eh? _

Weiss groaned, both at the predictable pun and that Yang knew they were currently on a date, kind of.

_ Weiss: That’s none of your business. …How did you know we were on a date? _

_ Yang: You pushed Blake and me out the door pretty much yelling at us to go away. And I asked Ruby _

Looking up at Ruby who must have sensed her piercing stare, she blinked back at her with her spoon hanging from her mouth.

“Ruby?”

“Weishh?”

“Did you tell your sister what we were doing?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

Ruby simply shrugged, “Cause she ashked.”

She finally removed the utensil from her mouth and swallowed. “Was I not supposed to? I thought since we were dating now and you’re my girlfriend and I don’t want to hide you or anything that it would be fine.”

Sighing, Weiss shook her head softly. “It wasn’t wrong Ruby.” Just inconvenient and ill-timed. “We’re girlfriends now and I don’t want to hide you either. But maybe next time you can leave a few details out?”

Ruby looked relieved that Weiss wasn’t mad at her and quickly nodded her head. “Will do best BFF/partner/girlfriend!”

Weiss decided not to correct Ruby on how ‘best BFF’ was redundant and tried to refocus back on her original task. The perfect first kiss. So far her plan seemed to have failed, but she still had time.

At least that’s what she thought several minutes ago after her latest attempt when they were still eating. Now that the plates were empty and Ruby was fully focused on Weiss, there didn’t seem to be any openings for her to make a move. And to make matters worse, Ruby had a bit of icing in the crease of her mouth that she couldn’t take her eyes off of. She kept imagining pressing her own lips against Ruby’s and how it would make their kiss that much sweeter.

Ruby stood up and started collecting the dirty dishes. She had started doing small things like this recently and Weiss sure wasn’t going to start complaining now. Gathering her own dishes, she turned to hand them to Ruby when, instead of seeing an outstretched hand, her cheek came in contact with a warm palm. Less than a second later and sweet lips came down on hers, more specifically, her top lip. Before Weiss could register any details, Ruby had moved away and was slowly rubbing her thumb over that spot.

“You had a little bit of cake right there…”

“Oh,” was all Weiss could get out.

Ruby was still hovering and cupping her face. Still rubbing her thumb back and forth but moving it from her lips to her cheek to her jawline. And still Weiss couldn’t fully formulate a thought. She could just watch as Ruby’s silver eyes traced her face before finally coming to rest on her light blue gaze. Blinking slowly, Ruby seemed to finally realize what she was doing and jumped back a step.

“S-sorry! You’re soft! WAIT! I mean, you’re clean. No more cake, it’s fine. Good.” Pointing over her shoulder she added, “I’m just…gonna take this stuff over there…Be right back!”

Her plan for the perfect first kiss…No matter what she did, Weiss hadn’t been able to get it to succeed. Over and over she tried and over and over she failed. Then suddenly Ruby comes over and simply places her lips on hers, just like that!

Ruby kissed her. She was kissed by Ruby. They kiss-

“Weiss… I, um, I just wanted to say I’m really sorry about kissing you so suddenly and without asking first. I didn’t mean it- I mean, I meant it, but I didn’t mean to.” What started out as a nervous apology turned into frantic rambling as Ruby tried to get out of the mess she had talked herself into. Finally letting out a frustrated groan, she restarted.

“What I’m trying to say is that you were just so close and then sometimes you would lean in and everything got warmer and you kept watching everything I did and I got really nervous about it. And then I was watching your mouth to see if I was eating the cake right but every time you took a bite your lips looked so...ahem, nice that I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Then the crumb!” Ruby accused. “It’s all the crumbs fault! If it wasn’t for it I wouldn’t have done what I did. I...”

As Ruby continued her cake tirade, Weiss tried but couldn’t find it in herself to be upset with what happened. Things didn’t turn out as she planned but she wasn't mad. She would have to put an end to the monologue eventually and let Ruby know that, but for now, she simply watched as her girlfriend rocked nervously. Chin in hand, Weiss thought about their third date and wondered if it would be as interesting as this one. One could only hope...

Their kiss was supposed to be perfect, but Ruby happened and managed to make it so much more. In the end, she still got what she wanted despite her scheme failing miserably...And it was all the more sweeter for it.


	24. Forget Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Mother  
> Writer: alpha91  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpha91  
> A/N: Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY if I did I would totally hold these prompts for people to write on and sometimes feature the best ones.

Ruby Rose wasn't actually a morning person. She only got up really early in the morning if it was a requirement or if she had a nightmare of sort. She was similar to her sister in that aspect. She slept almost heavy as Yang. Very few things would cut her sleep short. And since the two things on top of that list was unavailable at the moment, today was supposed to be a late start.

As she walked through the familiar street. She only arrived last night and was awake almost all night planning on how to approach her  _ mission.  _ In all of her scenario it ended up being a disaster. And this time she had no Weiss to pick up after her. She just wished that she would return home alive and well.

She wasn't gonna be afraid. She was now the top of her game. One of the if not the best huntress in existence. She had faced off death number of times and returned unscathed. She had looked straight at Salem and made her see the error in her ways. She was the hero of, excuse me Heroine of Remnant. And she wouldn't back out of her mission. The only difference was of her partner. She would always have the other one's shoulder to lean on when needed. But today right beside her it was empty. It saddened her a bit. But that's why she was here. To make sure that Weiss would always be there.

The small creaking sound of the gates were still there. And she was reminded that she was now in hostile territory, without her protector. She did a memory check on how Weiss taught her the art of fine dining. But no matter how hard she tried she could only recall some of the details while the taste of the food still lingered there. And how could she forget Weiss being bossy. She didn't even recall the utensils that much. Only the taste of heaven in her mouth, the angel that looked pretty guarding it and the voice that made her lose focus on the world.

_ THUD _

And look at that. She made the first mistake already. She walked into the door. Well at least it she didn't have to knock any more. She could hear the footsteps approaching and click of the front door opening. She braced herself. She would give it her all for this.

"Oh Ruby! What a surprise! Didn't know you would be visiting." Ruby knew the voice. It's tone and accent so similar to Weiss's own.

Ruby had to take a second to come into terms that Mrs. Schnee didn't always wore fancy clothes.  _ Yeah, why did I even consider that? _

"Good morning Mrs. Schnee. I'm sorry for coming by unannounced. Can... May I come in?" Ruby said while worrying over if she had screwed it up somehow.

"Come in." Willow said while moving away from the door. And Ruby rushed inside not wanting to let her opportunity go. While the older woman still held the door peeking outside for a few seconds before shutting the door and turning towards Ruby. "When is Weiss going to be here?"

"Ummmmm... It's just me today. Weiss is busy with a trip to Vacuo. Something to do with the dust mines there."  _ Of course the first thing she would ask is about Weiss. Should've started with that. But in that case she might not even have let me in.  _ She saw that Willow had went into the living room motioning Ruby to sit.

Ruby gulped. First stage was complete. Now she just hoped that the other went as smoothly as well.

She thought about Weiss. How easy it is for her now. How she's just sightseeing on the other side of Remnant. Oh how easy and fun that was!

* * *

It wasn't easy and fun as it used to be.

Weiss Schnee, the ice queen was cold. And the only thing keeping her warm was the dust supplies she previously packed. And the protective warmer she wore inside of her clothes. And maybe a really old cloak Ruby gave her as a reminder. _She always gives me this when I go alone._ _I'm pretty sure she mocks me with that. How did she even grow taller like that._

She could hear the grimm sounds even in the snowstorm that was brewing. That was something that always struck as odd to Weiss. The weather near the cliff was always rough. Whether it be snowstorm or just regular old storm. But when you reach the cliff its always clear. She even considered that maybe they put a force field around the area. Because every time they visited it was always the same. Ruby blew it off as nature.

She made quick work of the grimm. They weren't even on their full potential these days.

After Salem - whatever went in there with her and Ruby - the grimm weren't as strong as they used to be. A few months later it was revealed that the grimms didn't spawn that often anymore. They had achieved world peace. Well almost close to something like that. Weiss doubted that it would last long. And now about the reports coming in from a few of their mines, things were gonna go back to chaos anyway. That's why the huntsmen and huntresses still work. Before it was their duty to protect them from the monsters of nature. It still is effective even now.

How long she walked she didn't know. But everything hurt. Not from the injuries. But from how tiring it was. She could see the opening. And it looked clear as always.

Above all this Weiss wasn't angry or feeling forced. She was here on her own accord. She wanted to be here. She wanted to visit Summer Rose. She had to. And now she had made the first step.

* * *

Ruby was unsure about how to proceed. When asked about breakfast she said she already had eaten.  _ Which was totally not cookies.  _ And now seeing more of the said food, she couldn't decide. On one hand she knew how good the cookies would be. She already knew that the older woman was an excellent chef.  _ The couch that day was so worth those cookies. _

She knew she had to act quick. So she did the one thing that she knew would give her the answer. She looked at Mrs. Schnee. And the moment there was a nod she jumped in. She picked up one and decided to slowly nibble on that. Since shoving one after another would earn her a negative point. And she wanted all the positive points.

"So, how is life there in Vale? Heard that they were re-opening Beacon." Mrs. Schnee was sipping her tea. It was odd how she would change after her husband went to jail.

"Yeah that's one of the reasons we moved there. We both got teaching opportunities there. Temporary for Weiss since she still has to manage SDC." Ruby paused to take a bite. "I mean Atlas is great and all but Vale is more serene. And more of what I was accustomed to. And Weiss loved it when we were at Beacon."

"Speaking of her. How is she? Whitley isn't giving her problems again is he?"

"Not that she mentioned about. She is doing fine. Just sometimes tired. She has a busy schedule with SDC. So we sometimes go on missions without her. Maybe she's upset about that. Did she tell you she was upset!?" Ruby's voice rose a few decibels at the end. "Ummmmm... sorry."

"Its not a problem don't worry." Mrs. Schnee gave a small laugh. "You haven't changed one bit. I can see why Weiss likes you. I always told her to let you be herself. But she tends to take authority on that. Its okay. You don't have to act like that in front of me."

"Okay?!" Her voice was barely audible now. She kept her face down to avoid looking at the older woman.

"You know Weiss was like that once. I don't remember ever talking about that to you. But Weiss used to be like you. Always being cheery. She was once not within her shackles. She used to happy like she is now." Her voice broke near the end of it. And by the looks of it she was close to crying.

"Are you okay Mrs. Schnee?" Ruby wanted to get up and give the woman a hug. But decided against it.

"I'm a failure you know." She was close to crying now. And Ruby saw a tear in her eyes. "I ran away from my children when they needed me the most. I hid and let that man take over everything I held dear to me. And I didn't even try to stop him. Didn't even kept in touch with my children. I failed as a mother."

"And if it wasn't for you I might've never get a chance to live freely again." Willow took a few minutes to calm down. All the while Ruby was uncomfortable about hearing the woman telling her all this. "I'm sorry about ruining the mood. Go on, tell me how you've been."

Ruby then did the one thing she didn't think about doing today. She talked about her mother to Weiss's.

* * *

The tomb was the same as ever. It didn't catch algae or dust. It was still the way she last saw. She immediately could feel the warm weather around. She opened her scroll and put on some commands to turn the internal heating off. She the proceeded to lose the cloak and place it around the tomb. She sat down on her knees in front of the grave. She could feel the warm air blow past by. She decided to speak her mind.

"I know this is not usually the time we visit you. But this time its just me. Ruby is still back in Vale. She doesn't know that I'm here. And I didn't want her to. I will tell her afterwards but for now she doesn't know."

"I was here to ask something of you. I already asked Mr. Tai. But felt that you also deserve and opinion."

Weiss contemplated for a bit.  _ This was dumb. But Ruby always believed that her mother could hear everything.  _ Weiss wasn't one for the believers. She doubted about the gods. And seeing first hand how they were the ones creating issues for the world she doubted she wanted that. So she wasn't really the religious type. Something Ruby changed in her. Weiss found herself always worrying over her partner. And in those times Weiss found herself that she always wished and prayed. And something about talking to Summer was refreshing. The first time was something really liberating. She felt she could tell almost anything.

"But before that, I wanted to talk to about other things. Things I never talked about. I don't know just what. But I'll just speak my own mind. My therapist says to do that."

"We moved to Vale. It was a month after we visited you last. Ruby was glad that she got a position in Beacon. And even with my job they offered me a temporary lecturer post. I know that it would be really hard to maintain. But I can find 8 days a month off."

"Our huntress careers are still the same. I just don't go on many missions that much. Ruby still goes every chance she gets. Sometimes I think that maybe I should just leave the SDC. But afterwards I think that if I did that Whitley would take over. He's my brother. He's just so much like father. That I fear what he would do. Recently though he seems to be more nice. I don't know if its just to catch me off guard. But if its honestly him changing then I can see him being a better person already."

"My sister is doing fine too. I don't know much about her personal life but she is doing fine. My mother is bouncing back from life. She got her act together."

Weiss paused for a bit. She didn't want to say the next part. But rather her own mother. Weiss still hadn't been sure about her mother. She said she forgave her for everything. But it still hurt.

"My mother was once the best thing in my life. She would always be there when I needed her. Winter and I adored her. She never kept her eyes off us. She used to be like  _ you." _

"Ruby and Yang told me how you were. Yang said you were a super mom. My mother was once like that. Maintaining SDC with my father on one hand and taking care of us on the other. But then she changed. She became cold and distant. I always blamed myself for not being good enough. But now that I look at her I know that she never blamed us. No matter how much I hate my father, he opened our eyes about how cruel the world can be. He was the reason my mother lost her connection to us. And now I when I see her all I can see is how much she regrets the things she did and didn't do. I know if I was in her shoes I would do the same."

The wetness on her legs were evident now. The tears rolled from her eyes. Her voice broke too. The warm air blew again. This time carrying rose petals with it. And covering Weiss, in what Weiss would consider a hug. It made Weiss feel a little better.

"I want to forgive her. And say that its okay. But the things that happened was needed for the person we are now. And what we are today is because of that. That a mother risked her life and took on a mission never to return. A mother turning cold. How much positive or negative that held it had to happen for the persons we are today. I accepted that. So maybe I just wanna accept her."

The petals that were there a few moments ago cleared. Maybe carried away by the wind or maybe by something else. But Weiss felt the sun shining brightly. It made her mood better. She took a few minutes to calm down and clear her head before continuing.

"Yang and Blake are doing okay too. I still don't know when they would just walk the isle or if they even considered that. Speaking of which the reason why I'm here."

"I wanted to ask your permission to ask for Ruby's hand in marriage."

And the warm air that blew past Weiss and the white rose petals that surrounded her brought a smile to her face.

She had gotten her approval.

* * *

"It seems that your mother was a great woman. I only heard about Summer Rose the huntress not the mother she was." Mrs. Schnee was now in a good mood. And not in her loathing mood.

Ruby wanted to make the woman feel better. But if it backfired than her whole reason for being here would fall apart. But she had to try. It didn't matter if she didn't get what she wanted today. She would try.

"Weiss always said that you were like my mother once. I believe that you can be again. I don't think you're a failure. Its just that you made some bad choices."  _ Like marrying that douche. Wait if she didn't marry that Weiss wouldn't have been born. ughhhhhh even hating people is hard these days.  _ "Mrs. Schnee from what I've seen the past visits I can see you are not what Winter said you were. You are kind and wonderful just like your daughter."

The older woman didn't reply. Only looked at the cup she held.

"When my mother died my sister blamed her for that. And when I grew up I sometimes thought that too. But I soon realized that the world has a way of balancing things. I'm not saying that my mother dying is a good thing. But it was something that can't be helped. There is no way to regret the past. All we can do is move forward. Life is too short to hold something against someone, even yourself."

"What I'm trying to say is that. The way things happened might not have been the best of ways. But it happened and there is no changing that. We gotta live past that. And accept what happened. Maybe if things didn't happen the way it did we wouldn't be who we are."

"There is a reason that Salem was the way she was. She couldn't accept the past. And was too caught up in the past to look to the future. I never said it to anyone but in her final moments she realized the value of life and decisions. She sacrificed herself so we could all be here. She was the hero that day. Not me."

"But we live on. And we have to. Otherwise what's the point of anything. Weiss never blamed you. She blamed herself."

"She doesn't want anything else from you. Doesn't expect anything else want from you. She just wants you to be her mother that she lost."

Ruby took a breath. All that talking dried her mouth. She gulped down the now gone cold tea from her cup. And made a face because she remembered that the tea had no sugar.  _ How does Weiss drink this. _

Mrs. Schnee for the second time laughed. And this time it was not contained. Rather it was a laugh from deep inside her. And afterwards she smiled and went over to Ruby to give her a hug.

Ruby felt like she was done with her second part. She didn't even follow her plans she made. She still completed stage two, taming the beast.  _ Well that's kinda rude calling Weiss's mother a beast. If anything she looks almost as beautiful as Weiss. Almost.  _ When she was released from the hug she looked at the woman one more time.  _ Yeah... almost(?). _

And now the last thing. The final question.

"So ummmmm... I was hear for a reason, Mrs. Schnee." The woman in question looked at her. Head tilted to the side a bit.

"Oh?!"

"So I wanted to ask something of you. And given that Mr. Schnee is still in jail and will not in anyway let me visit there, you are Weiss's only parent available. Soooooooooo..."

Before Ruby could start her long speech she prepared and memorized - which she reviewed mentally while saying the long 'so' - the older woman cut her off.

"You want my permission to ask for Weiss's hand?" The way she said it, it was so calm. Not even a hint of surprise was there. She even used her monotone voice. Ruby's jaw was open.

"uhhh... I... I was... Yes?" Ruby could barely talk now. The opponent had the upper hand now. Her plans were now revealed. And now comes the blow.  _ And its only just me. Weiss won't even share her aura with me to heal now. _

"Well I accept. On one condition." She still seemed a lot calm for someone who was asked that.

Ruby had haggled a lot of shopkeepers in her life. But this is the best deal she could have in forever. Whatever that condition was she could take it. She did the one thing she could.

She activated her semblance and collided with the other woman.

* * *

Weiss never wanted to sneak in to her own house. But the way the lights were all out, she could only assume Ruby was asleep. And she still could climb up the window with her glyphs.

What she hadn't expect was a thief trying to do the same. But the thief was trying to open the window, which Weiss put a lock to.

Floating up with her glyph she saw what surprised her more. The thief was Ruby.

"RUBY!"

Ruby almost lost her grip and fell. Only to see the glyph and jumped the last moment to land on that.

"Hey Weiss! What are you doing here?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"I live here too you dolt. Why were you trying to sneak in through the window? I thought you were asleep." Weiss hid the fact that she was trying to do the same.

"Yeah I tried the door. But I left the key inside. And I also forgot where we put the emergency key."

"You dunce, we don't keep an emergency key. It's too risky. I set up our scrolls to open the door. Didn't you pay any attention to what I said when we set it up?"

"Oh that's what it was. I thought it was something Zwei related. I was busy with his collar with the chip. It had way too much latency."

Weiss facepalmed herself.

"Fine let's go in." With that she unlocked the window with her glyphs and got in after Ruby.

Weiss noticed that Zwei didn't rush to where they were. And assumed that he was asleep. Little did she know that Ruby had left Zwei in Jaune's house. Ruby made a mental note to bring back Zwei very very early in the morning to avoid the scolding from Weiss.

Before long they were ready for bed. None of them were hungry since both of them ate. And didn't want the other to know where or how. In the bed they both took the time to say something at the same time.

"I have something to talk to you about." They both were surprised to hear the exact words the other one used.

And the rest was history.


	25. Sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sky  
> Writer: Adeline_Wrights_Fanfiction  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adeline_Wrights_Fanfiction/pseuds/Adeline_Wrights_Fanfiction  
> A/N: Written on May the 27th, 2020

There is no star in the Atlas sky

To match the light of your blue eyes.

I have lain with you in ice and snow.

I’m lost in your eyes with nowhere to go.

Lost forever in your deep blue,

You’re the sky I’m falling through.

The snow of your hair, the heat of your kiss,

There’s nothing I want more than this;

Nothing more than ice and steel and

The beat of our hearts ‘cross the battlefield.

I love you so much I could cry.

Petals raining from the sky,

Red like roses, soft as truth;

The red of my rose is a promise to you.

Redder than the setting sun,

My love for you has only begun.


	26. Sanctuary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sanctuary  
> Writer: HopeofMorning910  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeOfMorning910
> 
> Summary: When her father decides his daughter is in the way of his ambitions, Lady Weiss Schnee flees for her life. She seeks sanctuary in the Warden’s lands, knowing it is probably the only place that can keep her safe from her father’s grasp—if the Warden doesn’t kill her on sight, that is.

Lady Weiss Schnee pushed her way through the forest, her legs and feet aching with every step. The leather travel bag hanging from her shoulder made everything worse. It dug painfully into her skin and seemed to get heavier every passing second.

She froze when she heard the baying of her father’s hounds resounding through the shadowy trees. Her pulse shot up, and her breathing hitched. They sounded so close. She tried to pick up the pace, but her weary legs wouldn’t cooperate. 

It didn’t help that this part of the forest was wild and dense. Low-hanging branches and unseen brambles grabbed at her clothing constantly like grasping fingers. It was as though the forest itself had turned on her. Then again, maybe it had.

She wasn’t supposed to be here. The old tales had been clear. To pass the Boundary and enter the Unmarked Lands was to risk certain death. However, Klein Sieben, the Schnee family steward and the one person Weiss trusted beyond all others believed otherwise.

Weiss pulled the cloak he had given her even more tightly around her shoulders as she remembered their last conversation several nights ago. He had come to her between the changing of the guard with a bag already packed with travel essentials and a warning.

_“Little Snowflake, you must go.”_

_She had known instantly what his words meant. Her father had decided that he no longer needed her around for insurance now that his son had survived infancy. He had his heir; he did not need a heiress who threatened his seat of power._

_Despair washed through her. “Go? Go where? There isn’t a lord or lady within these lands who hasn’t been strong-armed into compliance by Father’s mercenary thugs. The moment I arrive in their territory, they’d send me back.”_

_“There is one place. A place where humans fear to tread.”_

_Weiss paled. “The Unmarked Lands.” The territory east of her family’s holdings that was named for the fact it was unmarked on any map. No one knew what was out there for none who entered ever returned. “So instead of letting my father kill me, I should walk into the jaws of death by my own volition?”_

_Klein shook his head. “The Warden may have little mercy, but even she is bound by laws far older than you or I. As long as you state your purpose honestly and follow her rules, she will not kill you. I know because she saved my life once.”_

Weiss knew the tale. It was the story of how a young peasant boy managed to escape slavers. He had crossed the Boundary in desperation, and the Warden chose to spare his life after rescuing him. She even took him to the edge of the Schnee holdings where Weiss’s grandfather, the lord at the time, eventually found him and gave him a place in his household. Klein had been with the Schnee family ever since.

But that had been an incidence of pure luck, had it not? What were the chances that the Warden would choose to help another human? 

However, in the end, there hadn’t been a choice. If Weiss stayed, her father would most certainly find a way to make her disappear. A bandit attack on the road when she visited the village, perhaps, or an unfortunate accident somewhere in or around the keep. The possibilities were endless. 

It killed Weiss to abandon her people to his cruelty and greed, but even her people knew that her father’s corruption was too deeply entrenched for Weiss to be able to take back her birthright.

It was in their eyes as they gathered in ones and twos as Klein spirited her away from the keep, whispering words of farewell to her as she passed. It was in the way they bowed their heads in respect as though this would be the last time they would ever set their eyes on their lady. It was in Klein’s voice when he whispered one final message to her once she had climbed into the horse-drawn cart that had been waiting for her.

_“Live, my little snowflake. Live and be happy.”_

Her eyes stung at the memory. Klein had been more a father to her than her own flesh and blood, and she would miss him dearly.

The hounds following her scent trail bayed again, and she could almost hear their bodies crashing through the undergrowth. Her heart pounded, and panic raced through her veins. Was this the end?

She hurried past a ray of moonlight breaking through the canopy above. She had barely taken two more steps when her vision suddenly filled with red, and the fragrance of roses enveloped over her senses. She blinked. Were those...rose petals?

When the dancing curtain of crimson petals finally cleared, Weiss realized she was no longer alone. A cloaked figure stood in her path.

Weiss looked up and swallowed hard. The figure was armed with a giant scythe that was well over a head taller than them. The silver crescent blade sat atop a sturdy staff that looked like it had been woven out of ancient rose vines. The ends of the staff still sported long, dangerous looking thorns, the kind that would dig into a man’s flesh and leave a deep, puckered scar for the rest of his life.

The image of that scythe cleaving her in two sent cold sweat trickling down her back.

Even so, Weiss’s brow furrowed slightly. Klein told her that she would know the Warden by the brilliant white cloak she wore, but this figure wore a hooded cloak as red as the rose petals that now carpeted the forest floor.

The figure lifted their head, their features still hidden by that crimson hood. “Human. Your kind aren’t welcome in these lands.” The voice was low and carried a hint of a snarl. 

It spoke to the most visceral part of her, and an uncontrollable shiver ran up Weiss’s spine. _Run,_ something whispered deep within her. 

But she couldn’t. There was no place to run with the hounds at her back.

Weiss licked her dry lips and spoke, her voice quivering. “A-are you the Warden?”

The figure shifted, and that deadly looking blade flashed in the moonlight. “That is what some call me. But there have been other names.”

“There have,” Weiss agreed carefully. “The Sentinel. The Protector. The Harvester of Life. The Hunter.”

The Warden tilted their head. “You know much.” They sounded faintly surprised. But then they lifted that giant weapon and twirled it casually before them as though it was as light as a feather.

“But that alone won’t save you. You have trespassed on my lands. Tell me, why should I let you live?”

Weiss swallowed and squared her shoulders. “Why should you kill me? Yes, I have trespassed, but only because I fear for my life and safety.” She fell to one knee and bowed her head. “Please, by the promises of old, I ask you to grant me sanctuary.”

“No one remembers those promises.” There was a strange note in the Warden’s voice.

 _“I_ remember those promises.” Because as a child, she had voraciously read any book of stories she could find, and many of them told tales of the mighty Warden. And as she read, she noticed one commonality: a human betrayed the Warden’s trust, and the Warden punished the wrongdoers. So what if a person treated the Warden with honesty and good faith?

Weiss never received a response. 

A triumphant set of howls rang out behind her, and she shot to her feet, the Warden forgotten.

There were four hounds, and they were all mid-sized dogs of mixed breeding. Her father didn’t care for animals of any kind, but he kept and trained these for the sake of hunting down anyone who managed to escape from his dungeons.

 _So he considers me no better than a criminal now._

It was a bitter thought that filled Weiss’s chest with both sorrow and anger.

She grabbed the bag hanging at her side just in time to get it between herself and a lunging hound. It bit into the thick leather with a growl and shook its head violently, almost yanking the bag from her grasp.

“Let go!” Weiss tried to jerk her bag away from the hound, but its jaws were locked shut.

The other dogs started to approach her, barking furiously, only to suddenly fall silent. They slunk low to the ground, their ears pinned back and their tails tucked between their legs. Even the hound that had her bag released it with a whimper and backed away.

An even deeper growl reverberated through the air near Weiss’s shoulder, and she froze. The hairs at the back of her neck stood on end. She swallowed and turned her head slowly. 

There was a massive wolf barely a foot away from her. It was so tall that its shoulders stood as high as her own. It bared its fangs at the hounds and snarled warningly. It was mostly black and grey with only a splash of white on its chest and belly. It stepped past her, seemingly ignoring her. 

That was the last straw for her father’s hounds. They turned tail and ran, whimpering and whining in fear as they raced away. 

Weiss just blinked in shock, the turn of events happening so quickly that her mind could barely keep up. The wolf turned its head towards her, and she took an involuntary step back.

“He won’t hurt you.”

Weiss jumped.

At some point, the Warden had come up beside her. Weiss distantly realized the Warden was taller than her, though not by much. She also finally noticed what she had missed before. The Warden was indeed female like Klein said.

The wolf padded over to the Warden and nudged her elbow. The Warden laughed. It was a light and happy sound. Weiss didn’t think she had heard anything like it before, and strangely enough, she found herself wanting to hear it again.

The Warden did something with her hands, and her scythe suddenly vanished into rose petals. 

_Magic,_ Weiss realized. It was real

Then the Warden pushed back her hood, and Weiss’s breath caught. The Warden was undeniably beautiful. Lightly tanned skin. Crimson-tinged hair. True, that hair was wildly unkempt, and Weiss suspected that the Warden cut it herself, but somehow it added to rather than detracted from her appearance. But it was the Warden’s eyes that drew her the most. They were like pools of molten silver, ageless and deep. Yet right now, those eyes were bright with laughter as the Warden ruffled her wolf’s fur and gave him some firm scratches behind his ears.

“You aren’t what I was expecting.” The words tumbled out of Weiss before she could stop them.

The Warden turned and raised a brow. “Life rarely answers our expectations. We may hope. We may even wish. But in the end, life does what it will, regardless of our thoughts on the matter.” She gave her wolf another scratch, which earned her several excited licks. 

“But if we are being entirely honest, you are not what I expected either,” the Warden added after a moment. Those silver eyes met Weiss’s light blue ones. “You came to me requesting sanctuary. Tell me why.”

So Weiss did. She spoke of how her father didn’t care about their people. All he cared about was his own wealth and prestige. Peasants were beneath him.

In the end, Weiss took it upon herself to care for their people. When their winters grew bitter cold, she made sure every household had blankets and firewood. When food was scarce, she organized the servants and had them help her put together food baskets to deliver to those who needed them. She couldn’t do anything about the unscrupulous men her father chose as tax collectors, but there were other ways to balance her father’s greed. An extra gift here. A small kindness there. 

However, in focusing so much on her people, Weiss neglected to play the game of politics that her father so reveled in, and by the time she realized she needed allies to support her in her fight to claim her birthright, her father had already left his mark. The greedy were easily bought, and the rest were too intimidated to speak out against him. Her father and his cronies had already begun the process of getting him named lord regent because his son was too young to rule, ignoring Weiss’s existence completely. 

Things came to a head a week ago when Weiss refused to let herself be married away “for the good of the family.” He flat-out told her then that he had no interest in useless things and that useless things ought to be discarded as soon as possible. His expression had been ugly when he added the unsubtle threat that he would deal with any useless people with equal haste.

The Warden’s eyes flickered with some unrecognizable emotion. “He would have forced you to become a mate to a stranger?”

“If it could create an advantageous alliance, he would do so in a heartbeat.”

The Warden frowned. “That’s not right. You are not...a thing—an object to be traded away or handed off to another. You are your own person with a heart, with a mind, with a soul.”

Weiss blinked and then felt her cheeks warm slightly. How unexpected that the Warden would voice the words Weiss had always wanted to believe. The words she had always _chosen_ to believe.

She gazed upon the Warden with new eyes. It was strange. Earlier, the Warden had seemed so old, wise, and powerful—especially those silver eyes of hers—but Weiss suddenly got the impression that perhaps the Warden was younger than she appeared. 

A bitter smile crossed Weiss’s lips. “My father believes otherwise. Since I wouldn’t exist in this world without him, I should forever be beholden to him. I am a tool that exists for his ambitions, nothing more.”

The Warden narrowed her eyes. “That is wrong. No creature, man or beast, should live for the sake of another unless they choose to do so. That is the natural way of things. If a bird decides to fly from the nest or a wolf decides to venture off to start a new pack, that is their choice and none have the right to stop them.”

“If only that were the case for me. But as long as I exist, I threaten my father’s seat of power. If he cannot control me, he would rather see me dead so that there’s no chance I can try to return and wrestle my family’s holdings from his grasp.”

The Warden’s eyes sharpened. “Your sire would kill his own young?”

“If the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, yes, he would.” 

“Is he sick in the head?”

The blunt question surprised a laugh out of Weiss. Had anyone ever dared to say something so unflattering about her father?

The Warden didn’t wait for an answer though. She murmured as though talking to herself, “So that is why the men that stank of blood and violence came.”

Weiss’s amusement vanished instantly. “What?”

“The hounds had handlers. They came into my lands reeking of bloodthirst.” The Warden met her eyes. “They were on a hunt.”

To hunt _her._ Like a fox or a deer. They’d even brought those hounds.

Weiss swallowed heavily and tried to ignore her rising gorge and shaking hands. If they were here, she needed to keep moving. The hounds had been scared off once, but given enough incentive, they would come after her again. She wasn’t safe.

All at once, her anxieties raced to the forefront of her mind. She was already exhausted, both physically and mentally. She hadn’t been able to sleep the few times she stopped to rest, and she hadn’t eaten anything since early that morning. She couldn’t bring herself to eat. She had no idea how long she might be forced to keep running from her father’s men and she wasn’t an experienced woodsman, so she had to make her food supplies last as long as possible.

“—man. Human!” 

Someone was holding her arms just above her elbows. The sheer warmth of those hands grounded her and cut through her rising panic. 

“Weiss,” she forced out. 

Weiss lifted her eyes to meet the Warden’s gaze. There was a little furrow between the Warden’s eyes. Was she actually worried? About her? Why?

The Warden tilted her head, perplexed. “Weiss?”

Weiss drew in a shuddering breath, still trying to come back to herself. “I-I have a name. It’s Weiss. Not ‘Human’ or anything like that.”

The Warden searched her expression and then nodded. “Weiss. I will remember.” Then her expression hardened, “You’re scared. Why?”

Weiss pulled away and immediately regretted doing so. The icy fear in her soul felt even more painful without the Warden’s warmth.

“Those men—”

“—are gone,” the Warden interrupted. “They came into my lands with ill intentions. They are no more. The forest consumed them and will use their bodies to grow and flourish. They cannot harm you. You are safe.”

Weiss blinked uncomprehendingly. Once. Twice.

Then when the Warden’s words finally sunk in, she stumbled back and sank down to the foot of a tree. She held her arms close and closed her eyes in relief. She was safe. She could finally rest.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice shaky. 

She heard a set of footsteps approach and sensed the Warden crouch down before her. Weiss lifted her eyes. It took more effort than it should have.

“You said your sire wishes you dead,” the Warden said.

Weiss nodded, closing her eyes once more. “Yes. And when he discovers that his men have failed, he will send others.”

The Warden’s lips thinned. “I have decided. I will grant you sanctuary. It is not right for someone to strike such pain and fear into another, especially from parent to young.” Her eyes ran over Weiss. “You are tired. But we best not stay here. It is too close to the Boundary.”

“I don’t think I can stand,” Weiss admitted. Indeed, her limbs felt heavy, and she was struggling to keep her eyes open.

The Warden frowned thoughtfully. Then her eyes lit up. She moved to Weiss’s side and lifted her easily, one arm nestled in the crook of Weiss’s knees and the other across the back of Weiss’s shoulders.

Weiss let out an undignified squeak and clutched at the Warden’s shirt.

The Warden paid her no heed and whistled sharply. “Zwei!” 

The wolf’s ears perked up. He padded up to them and dropped to his belly.

The Warden deposited Weiss on the wolf’s back and then vaulted up behind her. The scent of roses enveloped Weiss once again as the Warden scooted forward and wrapped a lean but powerful arm around her waist. It explained how she had been able to twirl that giant scythe of hers so easily. And gods, she was just so _warm._

The Warden’s breath tickled her ear, sending a strange shiver down her spine. “I saw a pair of humans do this once. Zwei isn’t a horse, but he’s strong enough to carry us both.”

Weiss lurched when the wolf stood and started forward, but the arm across her middle kept her steady.

“Rest, Weiss. I will wake you when we reach our destination.” The Warden patted Weiss gently. “None will harm you under my protection. You are safe.”

 _And when was the last time I felt truly safe?_ Weiss couldn’t remember. 

But oddly enough, the Warden made her feel safe. Like a shelter in a storm or a thick blanket on a cold night, she felt warm and comforted. It was strange but also so very nice.

Yet there was something Weiss wanted to know before she let herself relax. “What should I call you? Warden?”

The Warden’s voice rumbled soothingly against her back. “Ruby. My name is Ruby.”

Weiss touched the arm across her waist lightly. “Thank you, Ruby.”

A moment of hesitation. Then the Warden replied in an odd tone, “You’re welcome. Rest now. You will feel better for it.”

Weiss nodded. Her eyes fluttered shut, and at last, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

“—eiss. Weiss,” a voice called softly.

Weiss started, utterly disorientated for a few seconds. Then she felt the warmth at her back and around her waist, and remembered where she was.

Now that Weiss was awake, the Warden _—Ruby,_ Weiss reminded herself—leapt off Zwei’s back. Then she turned around to lift Weiss down to the ground.

Weiss blinked and looked around. Was that...a cottage? It even had a well and what looked to be a storage shed towards the rear of the building.

“This can be your den for as long as you need.”

“My den?”

Ruby tilted her head. “That’s normal, right? Humans like living in dens made of wood or stone.”

Again, Weiss had the sense that Ruby was younger than she appeared, or at least inexperienced. She didn’t even know the word for “house”.

“Yes, but...isn’t this your place?”

Ruby shook her head. “One of the previous Wardens had a human mate. They built this here so their mate would have a safe place to live when they were patrolling. It is yours now. Come.”

Ruby led her to the front porch where there was a stone pillar with a metal plaque on one side. “Press your palm against that.”

Weiss raised her brow but did as she was told. Nothing happened at first, but then she felt something wash over her hand, surge down her arm, and pour into her body. She panicked and tried to yank her hand away, but she couldn’t. After a few moments, the same energy that rolled through her body rushed back out and fell over the cottage like a fine mist, seeping into every grain of wood and layer of stone.

“It is done,” Ruby said, her tone satisfied.

“What was that?” Weiss asked when she was finally able to pull her hand away. Her heart was beating a little too quickly for comfort.

“A protection spell. Now the den is yours and only yours. None may enter without your permission.” Ruby glanced at her. “You are safe here.”

It wasn’t the first time the Warden had said those words. It wasn’t even the second time. But even so, each time Weiss heard those simple words—“you are safe”—she couldn’t help but feel full inside. It was almost as if the Warden knew just how much being safe mattered to Weiss and so kept repeating the words specifically for her sake.

Ruby whistled, and Zwei came up next to her, his tail wagging.

“If you do not object, Zwei will stay to protect you. You don’t know this area. He’ll keep you from getting lost, and he can help you find food.”

“But don’t you need him?” 

He was her servant or something of the like, wasn’t he?

Ruby shrugged. “If I need him, I’ll call him. Until then, he can stay with you.”

Weiss looked at the massive creature with some trepidation. Zwei whined and bumped her with his muzzle. Hesitantly, she reached out to touch him. When his tail wagged and his ears perked up, she grew a little more confident. She ran her fingers through his thick fur, digging in deep when his tongue lolled out in pleasure.

Finally, she came to a decision. “How about it, Zwei? Would you like to stay with me for a while?”

Zwei whined happily and licked her hand.

Ruby looked on with a quiet smile. Then she glanced at Zwei and then the cottage with a frown. “I don’t think you’re going to fit through that door, old friend. And I don’t think it’s that big inside either. You’re gonna have to make yourself smaller.”

Zwei grumbled a bit. Then Weiss watched in shock as his body shimmered and shrank until he was shorter than her knee. He had gone from a massive wolf into one of those small heeler dogs that nipped at the feet of livestock animals to herd them, and he was utterly _adorable_ with his stubby little legs and roly-poly body.

He gave a very un-wolflike bark and trotted up to the cottage door before glancing back at her expectantly.

Ruby gave a light chuckle. “Keep her safe, Zwei.” 

Zwei yipped in response.

Ruby met Weiss’s eyes. “You still look tired. Rest some more, and take some time to settle in. I will return later when you are rested. And...” —she hesitated before continuing— “and if you need something before then, tell Zwei and he will let me know.”

“Thank you. For everything.” The words were paltry in comparison to everything Weiss was feeling at the moment, but they were the only ones she had.

The Warden’s lips curled up ever so slightly, and she nodded in acknowledgement. Then she took a step back. The wind picked up, blinding Weiss for a moment, and when she opened eyes again, the Warden had vanished in a swirl of crimson petals.

Weiss caught one between her fingers and marveled at its velvety softness. Since it was created from magic, would it remain or would it eventually fade away? She hoped it wouldn’t. For some strange reason, she wanted to keep it.

She lifted the flap on her bag and rummaged through it until she found the one luxury she brought with her, her diary. She tucked the petal between the unused pages with a silent prayer that it would still be there when she checked later.

She stepped up to her new home and opened the door. She was about to walk in when Zwei whined at her feet. She glanced down, wondering what was wrong. Then she remembered the Warden’s words: _“None may enter without your permission.”_

Weiss licked her lips and said, “You are welcome here.” Something in the magic surrounding the cottage thrummed in response to her words. She felt an invisible door open.

Zwei yipped happily and trotted inside. He dropped his nose to the ground and began exploring, his nails quietly clicking against the wooden floor.

Weiss leaned back on her heels as the last bit of tightness in her soul slowly unwound. 

She glanced around the one-room cottage. It was surprisingly clean though a little dusty. Everything that might deteriorate over time had been removed. There was a bed frame but no furs, blankets, or pillows. There was a rod across a doorway near the hearth that probably used to have a curtain hanging from it once upon a time. The small alcove probably used to be a pantry, judging by the shelves and clay pots. A small table and two stools.

Weiss breathed out a long sigh.

She would have her work cut out for her to make this place livable. But beyond all else, it was hers, and that alone made her feel hopeful for the first time in a long while.

She might have had to give up everything, but all was not lost. She was alive, she was safe, and she even had a place to call her own.

She held her diary ever closer, the beautiful red petal tucked within its pages still vivid in her mind’s eye. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

Then she stepped across the threshold and finally let the door swing shut behind her.


	27. Werewolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Werewolf  
> Author: gaymerkree  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree

There’s just something about the small outcropping of forests at the very edge of Vale’s suburbs. The city is close enough if there’s an emergency, but far enough away that no one really delves into the quiet woods. Ruby falls in love with the woods at an early age, lulled into the thicket by a siren’s song of smells, sights, and sounds. She’s eight the first time she enters the darkness, sending her family into a barely restrained panic. 

* * *

The summer of Ruby’s eighth year was spent heavily in the fenceless backyard of her family home. Now that her older sister, Yang, was ten they were allowed to play outside alone, as long as Yang kept an eye on Ruby’s actions. Unfortunately, Yang was ten, and could only hold her bladder for so long before she needed to go. Carefully she instructs Ruby to stay put, and that she’ll be right back, before scurrying inside and into the bathroom. 

Content to follow her sister’s instructions Ruby did stay put. She sat in her small sandbox playing with her favorite dinosaur toys, roaring lightly as the blue t-rex was easily defeated by the green three horned triceratops. What caught her attention, and changed her mind, was a flash of white just outside of the innermost line of trees. Silver eyes watch the spot where she’s sure the white blur had been, cautious but curious. When she sees it again it’s moving much slower, and it skids to a halt to watch her in turn. 

Just inside the tree line is a snow white wolf, big, at least compared to eight-year-old Ruby Rose. Predatory blue eyes watch the small child, confident and proud. What the creature doesn’t expect is for Ruby to stand, and sprint to the edge of her yard, and grin happily at them. The wolf lowers its head to the ground, hackles rising as it lets out a warning growl. Ruby drops to a squat, watching the wolf with a mystified expression. The wolf tries to back away, but with each step Ruby stands to follow, unafraid and in awe. 

Several minutes of this slow crawl tick by, and when the wolf finally lifts it’s head they’re much deeper in the woods. Ruby hasn’t taken her eyes off the silvery white animal, content to watch what it does now that they’re deeper in the thicket. In the distance there’s a howl, followed by another closer one before the snow white wolf before her howls in turn, and dashes into the deep wood. Ruby couldn’t keep up if she tried, so she turned to trudge back out of the woods. It takes her another several minutes to get out, and by the time she makes it out her parents and Yang have been frantically looking for her. 

She’s scooped into the strong arms of her father, and her mother wraps them both in a careful hug as she expresses their panic. Yang wiggles between their parents, hand fisted into the fabric of Ruby’s shorts leg crying. 

* * *

At the age of twelve, Ruby takes to exploring the woods on her own. Over the years she’s continued to see the white wolf, but caution came, however slowly, to the silver eyed pre-teen. She makes it up a particularly tall tree in a deeper part of the shaded forest, and admires the feat on a strong branch about two stories up, palming the red and black knife she received from her uncle a few years prior. 

It’d been a little over two months since she’d last saw the wolf, bigger now, in the steady thick of the forest. She’d given it a name long ago, but was careful about voicing it.  _ Snowflake _ , she whispered internally, letting her keen eyes flicker across the wooded ground, but the wolf is nowhere to be found. With a sigh Ruby leans back against the trunk of the tree and plucks from her hooded sweatshirt a block of wood and her faithful knife, and begins whittling away.

As the sun begins to set she’s made quite a bit of progress on the small figure. The vague shape of a quadruped and a rough head. A rough scratch at the bark of the tree startles the pre-teen, nearly sending her flying off the branch to the forest floor. Once she’s got her bearings again she takes a look down to see the familiar white wolf looking up at her, and she could be mistaken, but  _ was she smiling? _

As skillfully as she could manage, Ruby is down the tree and face to face with the large wolf. She’d never been so close before, nearly an arm’s length away from the majestic creature. She shifts before slowly reaching out a cautious hand to pat her head. The wolf growls low, but when Ruby halts her movements she presses impossibly soft fur into Ruby’s outstretched hand. The redhead gasps softly, dropping to her knees to scratch softly at the fur behind attentive ears. 

On her knees Ruby is almost shorter than the wolf, now seated in front of her. Ruby sits down against the tree, fully in awe of the wolf before her, and watches as she lays down amongst the thicket. With a deep breath Ruby withdraws her knife and her wooden figure slowly, watching as the wolf looks at her curiously and cautious. She begins whittling again, focusing on the shape of the head and tail. 

As the sun fully sets, and Ruby can no longer see the details of her sculpture anymore she sighs. 

“I guess I should get going, huh?” Beside her there’s a huff, and a scuffle of the wolf standing. Ruby climbs to her feet too, reaching for the wolf in the darkness. Wordlessly her four legged friend leads her to the edge of the forest, letting Ruby hold the tuft of fur on the back of her neck. “Thank you.”

Just inside the forest Ruby can see the lights of her house, and hear her mother calling her name from the porch. Tugging the wooden figure from her pocket, Ruby holds it out to the blue eyed wolf. “Here. This is for you.” The wolf tilts her head from side to side, sniffing the figure curiously before taking in between her teeth. “It’s not much, but it’s a wolf like you!” The wolf huffs again, and nudges Ruby’s legs with her head, urging her to go home, before it gets too late. Ruby stumbles forward and watches the wolf scurry into the deeper woods and out of sight.

* * *

Puberty hits Ruby three years later. Her first crush is on a beautiful girl in Yang's class with the same clear blue eyes of her wolf friend. She's grouped up with Yang for a project and has to come over to complete the finer points of whatever their project entails. 

Her name is  _ Weiss _ , and Ruby chants it to herself the first time she hears it. It's soft on her tongue, and she decides she likes the way her name feels. Ruby keeps her distance for the most part. Weiss is from  _ Atlas _ , and she has a deep accent that only comes out when she's not paying attention, but Ruby  _ loves _ it. 

When she makes her way out to the woods for her weekly visit to her wolf friend she gushes, curled up on the forest floor with the huge wolf. With a sigh she watches clouds flicker above the trees, letting her hand scratch lazily at a soft ear.

"Do you believe in love at first sight, Snowflake?"

* * *

Three years later Ruby still travels into the woods, but far more prepared than when she was younger. She’s got a pellet gun slung over her shoulder, climbing the thin ladder into the tree house she and Yang built a few years ago, before Yang went off to college. Pulling herself fully into the tree fort she grins at the sight of the snowy wolf who’s made her home on an old futon mattress she hauled up the ladder about six months ago. The shelter itself was well built, thanks mostly to Ruby’s planning and Yang’s strength, with a sturdy roof to keep the rain out. 

Playfully, Ruby flops into the wolf’s thick fur with a quiet laugh. “Hey there Snowflake!” The wolf rolls her eyes, but lets Ruby curl into her side, dropping her front left paw over broad shoulders. Ruby sighs happily but sits up with a cheerful grin and unloads her pellet gun and backpack off her shoulders to lean against her wolf friend fully. “Today’s a special day Flakes!” Effortlessly the wolf shoves Ruby forward making the teen laugh again. “Hey! It is special! Today’s my birthday!” The statement seems to take the wolf by surprise, and Ruby smiles brightly as she pats her head softly. “I turn eighteen today!” 

Turning to lean against the wolf fully as she tugged a small neatly wrapped present from her bag. “This is from Yang, she’s still away at college, but she sent me this in the mail!” The wolf watches as Ruby unwraps the gift, shoving her trash back into her bag, before opening the box fully. She gasps softly, picking up an old polaroid camera, cleaned and refurbished. 

“Snow!! Look at this!!” There’s a note that Ruby reads quickly, and flushes near the end.  _ Get a girlfriend so you can send me pictures of the two of you! _ “Jerk…”  _ P.S. It’s already loaded and ready to go! _ “Oh! Let’s take a picture, Snowflake!” With another bright grin Ruby turns to her wolf, but her fur covered friend seems downcast. “Don’t like pictures? That’s okay we don’t-”

With a light push Ruby stumbles backwards, her new camera clutched to her chest. The wolf moves to sit upright, blue eyes determined, but cautious. A rumble sounds from deep in the wolf’s chest, before Ruby watches her visibly shrink. When the transformation completes Ruby is face to face with the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen, and honestly a little light headed. “Wha-”

“This has to be our secret. Ruby are you listening to me?” Ruby recognized the girl in front of her. She was in Yang’s graduating class, the same girl who stole Ruby's heart at the age of fifteen. Ruby had tried to befriend the older girl several times, but Weiss always flushed and brushed her off, and now Ruby understood why.

“You’re Weiss Schnee.” She’s breathless and shocked, her hands shake around the camera in her hands. Weiss is wearing a blue sweater, and white jeans, looking almost ethereal in the shabby treehouse Ruby made with her older sister. 

“Yes. I’m sorry how I treated you in school, but I couldn’t risk you finding out my secret.” Ruby’s still dizzy, her vision swimming before she blacks out. 

* * *

When she comes too it’s to the sound of singing, soft and melodic. Bleary silver eyes blink up as the midday sun cascades over Weiss, accenting her snow white hair. Ruby’s breathless, watching the older girl finish her song before finally noticing she’s awake.

“Are you alright?” It’s a whisper, quiet and cautious. 

‘Mmhm. Your song was really pretty.” Belatedly she realizes Weiss’ hands are tangled in her hair, scratching lazily at the back of her head. "Weiss…"

"I'm sorry I took so long to tell you." The sorrow in her tone makes Ruby year up. With a deep breath she laces her fingers with Weiss', tugging her hands from her hair. "I was so worried about what you'd think. I-" She sucks in a shaky breath, steadying herself. "When you said it was your birthday, I just thought about every birthday I've missed since we've met and I-"

"Weiss it's okay!" Ruby grins lazily pulling Weiss' hand to her lips to kiss the knuckles softly. "I'm glad you told me." Weiss flushes again, but smiles softly down at Ruby's grinning face.

"Happy birthday Ruby." Weiss tugs the hand pressed to Ruby's lips up to her own, kissing the tanned knuckles herself before smiling again. "I love you."

"Thanks!" It takes a moment for Ruby to register the second part, but giggles sofly when she does, "I love you too."


	28. Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: MIRROR
> 
> Writer: SunoKasai  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunokasai/works

She feels alone. Which she thinks is silly because just a few minutes ago the dorm Atlas Academy provided them with had been full of life. Nora had been bragging about her strength development thanks to her training with Elm. As usual, Ren had been trying to be the voice of reason to calm her down while Yang had only encouraged it by challenging Nora. Blake’s attempts at stopping her partner had been halfhearted at best, her giggles betraying her all the time. And poor Jaune had not even bothered, sighing probably a dozen of times while watching it all unfold.

And Weiss herself? She had sat on her bunk, smiling along… and yet feeling left out and alone. Something that only intensifies now that she really is alone. 

The worst part about it? Weiss knows exactly why she is feeling this way and she knows she can’t really do anything about it. She’s also aware that Yang and Blake have figured it out, too. It shows by how they try to be there for her and include her as best as they can. And while it is appreciated, it only reminds Weiss on what is missing when she sees the partners interact.

On  _ who _ is missing. 

That’s why Weiss had declined when Yang had asked if if she would like to join them on their tour through Atlas for some sightseeing. Well, that and the fact that she grew up here so sightseeing is kind of ridiculous considering that fact. And she really really doesn’t want to be the third wheel. 

Though that has left her alone in the room with just herself and her thoughts. Once a blessing when it meant some peace and quiet. Now a curse because it is too quiet and her thoughts run wild.

For not the first time since everyone left, Weiss finds herself gazing at the tall mirror on the wall she had requested. To get properly dressed, she had explained. Her usual outfit consists of several layers of clothing and accessorizes that require absolute cautiousness when put on so everything looks just the way it is supposed to be. 

Okay, maybe Yang had a point when she laughed and said that this excuse sounded ridiculous. But perfectionism is hard to unlearn and Weiss would be damned if she doesn’t look her best in the middle of decimating Grimm. 

But right now… that mirror calls to her for an entirely different reason. For something she hasn’t done in a while. Not since she escaped her prison in Schnee Manor after the Fall. An old form of comfort when she had felt lonely.

Slowly, Weiss raises from the bed. She approaches the mirror with cautious steps, watches herself drawing closer on the reflective surface. Moments she uses to get a good look on herself. 

If she has to describe it, Weiss would say she looks… vulnerable, in the way her right hand is holding onto her left arm. Like she is protecting herself. Fragile in the way her shoulders are drawn up just slightly, but it is still enough. Hurt in the way her face lacks a smile and her eyes seem a bit dull, with brows furrowed. 

It all increases tenfold as soon as she sits down in front of herself, knees drawn up to her chest and arms hugging them. In the moments of silence that follow, Weiss can hear her own heartbeat in her ears, steady and longing for someone not here with her.

“It’s been a while, I guess.” Weiss starts, voice barely above a whisper. “Then again, it’s been a while since I have felt so alone that I sought out your company. The last time… was hours before the Charity event for beacon, if I remember correctly.” That had been one of her lowest points, alone with no knowledge of what happened to her team that she had to leave behind. With no knowledge of what happened atop the tower…

“I had thought by being back together with them I wouldn’t have a reason to do this anymore… but here we are.” It’s almost as if she is expecting her reflection in the mirror to respond, the way Weiss stops after some sentences. She doesn’t.

“I don’t think I have felt so alone ever since Winter left for Atlas Academy. There are people around me… but the one person I want to be with most is nowhere to be seen...” She doesn’t dare to meet the gaze of herself, doesn’t look up. It’s enough that she feels her eyes starting to sting. She doesn’t need the visual confirmation, too. 

Weiss falls into a contemplative silence for a few moments, thinks about how she got to where she is right now, in front of just a random mirror. “Is it… selfish that I want her to be here? To drop responsibilities to just… no, that’s not right.”

She chuckles, devoid of humor. “It’s not that I want her to drop her responsibilities. I wish she would share some of them, wish she would realize she doesn’t have to carry them alone and that I am there to help carry them. Together. That’s what the best partner ever does, is it not?”

“And if by doing that we were to be together physically again, talk more again… there is no harm in that, right?” Deep inside Weiss knows that this is what she’d really want. Be together. 

“She promised she’d never leave my side for a second...” The way her voice breaks just slightly has Weiss bury her face in her knees and she wishes her reflection could step out of the mirror to lay a reassuring and comforting hand on her shoulders. Or hug her. Even if it wouldn’t be the same. Wouldn’t compare to her hugs, all warm and with the scent of roses enveloping Weiss as well. 

She didn’t want to come back to Atlas, but she had understood that it’s been necessary to protect the relics. She had been scared of returning to where her demons live at first, of being taken away again, put back into the cage she had just escaped. But her team, her partner, had been reassurance enough. As long as she has them close, she has nothing to be scared of. She wouldn’t leave them without a fight and they would never leave her. Or so she thought. 

Little did she know back then that Atlas and everything that would be thrust upon them would take away the one person she wants to hold on to the most. 

Weiss doesn’t want her own reflection. It’s a relic of darker and truly lonely times, one she would seek out after that dreadful tenth birthday and after Winter’s departure to cry herself out, pretending it’s a friend she can tell everything so she feels less alone. 

No, what she wants is red like roses, somewhere in Atlas Academy, with Weiss’ stolen heart in her gentle hands.


	29. Pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sway  
> Writer: Matchappreciated  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matchappreciated

The day was perfect. The sun was shining but didn’t scorch the earth with its heat. The sky was blue with cottony clouds that drifted on the lazy breeze. It was the weekend and neither Ruby nor Weiss had to go to work. Yes, the day was a perfect day to finally wash off their driveway with the pressure-washer they bought last year.

Ruby was the one to prod and beg Weiss that they needed it, that it would make their driveway sparkly clean and outshine all the other driveways in the neighborhood. Admittedly, it didn’t take long for her to be coerced into getting it with the anticipation of having something better than their overachiever neighbors with their perfect gardens and meticulously manicured lawns.

So here they were, about to be the envy of everyone, at least in Weiss’ mind. While Ruby moved their cars, Weiss got everything ready and decided to give it a small test. Squeezing the trigger, her arm quickly shot back and the water rained down from the sky. And while the created rainbow was pretty, it wasn’t what she intended to do. Bracing herself for the kickback, she tried again. With one pass of the wand Weiss could clearly see the before and after. The previously charcoal pavement had been revived to its original light gray color.

Amazed at the transformation, Weiss’ simple line test quickly turned into two rows of gray, then three. Before she even noticed, she had cleaned a small square of the dirty concrete that stood out from the surrounding sides. She kept going.

Each time the spray of water washed away the grime, Weiss could feel the stress she hadn’t known she’d been carrying melting away. She eventually started swaying with each pass of the wand and unknowingly started softly humming with each movement, turning it into a slow dance.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth.

The work was almost as relaxing as a trip to the spa or those ASMR videos Blake had hooked her on. She wasn’t doing yard work anymore, this was something she enjoyed doing and wouldn’t mind doing often.

She was about halfway done with her side of the driveway - they decided to split the work down the middle - when Ruby finally made her appearance. Weiss had been too caught up in cleaning the driveway that she hadn’t even noticed she was missing.

“Look Weiss! Yang said they had a pressure-washer that we could use so now we can finish it twice as fast!” Ruby called out while dragging a similar machine behind her.

“I suppose that does make sense. I’ve already started but I can show you how it works if you want.” Weiss called back.

Ruby hooked everything up and stood with the wand in her arms like a rifle. “Nah, that’s ok. Yang explained how it works to me.”

Slightly unnerved at the way Ruby held the sprayer, Weiss decided to trust her girlfriend and ceded the argument of water safety. She turned back to her side and once again, she became hypnotized by watching the pavement become clean one small strip at a time and swaying back and forth with each pass.

Three quarters of the way done and Weiss looked up to watch Ruby work. Weiss’ whole body immediately tensed back up when she saw how Ruby was spraying the ground. Instead of a simple back and forth motion, Ruby was writing and drawing random shapes before haphazardly washing it clean, like how she used to erase a doodle in the margins of her history homework.

What was a relaxing activity for Weiss, was the equivalent of sidewalk chalk to Ruby. Each chaotic line made her cringe. Every spot that Ruby ‘successfully’ cleaned, Weiss inspected closely because surely a spot had been missed. She couldn’t watch anymore.

“Weiss! Look it’s Zwei!” Ruby pointed excitedly at her most recent artwork.

Walking over to see, she was actually surprised to see a decent depiction of the energetic pup. Weiss actually took a second to look at some of the other things Ruby had done. There was a heart with ‘R+W’ written inside of it and then what looked like Beacon’s crest of crossed axes. ‘Weiss Rose’ was written in curly letters off to the side as well as ‘Ruby Schnee’. While the method of drawing was just plain wrong, the actual sketches were well done.

Weiss could tell that Ruby was enjoying herself as much as she herself was earlier. Deciding to finish her side of the driveway without mentioning her peeve, she kept going but with less enthusiasm.Occasionally she would look up and notice the grin on her girlfriend’s face or be called over to see the newest creation. When she was nearing the end of the drive, she stopped. She looked back at Ruby and at the doodles the redhead created and it didn’t take long before an idea came to her. Calling out to Ruby, she explained her idea which was quickly greeted with excited head nods.

Several hours later they had everything packed away and the driveway was shining brighter than it ever had before. If the neighbors didn’t like the dark rose and snowflake outlines drawn at the end of their drive, that was too bad. Yes, she often aimed for perfection but Blake had one described her as ‘defiance’. The owners were proud of who they were and each other. This was their home and they weren’t afraid to let everyone know. So, while they may not have the best hedges or the whitest fences, they did have the perfect driveway.


	30. Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: LOST
> 
> Writer: SunoKasai  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunokasai/works

This is not how Ruby expected this mission to go. This is not how that last move was supposed to end. Her original plan had consisted of Yang and Blake distracting that worm like Grimm while Ruby would use one of Weiss’ glyph as additional acceleration for her own Semblance so she would have enough speed for one clean cut through the Grimm’s hardened scales with Crescent Rose.

No one had expected a second Grimm to erupt out of the Vacuo desert, right before Ruby reached Weiss’ glyph. And judging by her teammates screams none of them had expected that Grimm would swallow Ruby whole… and then disappear back under the sand.

Ruby should probably be grateful one could survive being eaten whole as long as their aura held up long enough. And she should be thanking the Brothers that her aura held up just long enough that Ruby could sense the Grimm breaching through and back to the surface where she could kick her Semblance into overdrive to get out, killing it. 

But as soon as Ruby made it out she realized one thing she should not be grateful for: the worm had taken her somewhere in the desert. Away from her team and away from her supplies. 

As she looks around, nothing but sand all around her and the sun burning down on her, Ruby draws the only possible conclusion. She is lost. 

* * *

The explosion of sand particles followed Yang’s scream after she punched the ground, hair and eyes ablaze with fury. No, this can’t be happening. This is just a bad dream and she will wake up in her bed in just a second. Her sister would snore while holding tightly onto a sleeping Weiss as they cuddled, instead of Ruby being MIA and Weiss in shock on her knees, Blake trying to get through to her. 

“We have to find her.” It’s the only thing Yang can wrap her head around right now. Her only drive forward. 

“I know but… how?” Blake looks up from her spot next to Weiss. They have no idea how far that thing could have traveled, if it is still underground. Or… “And what if-”

“Don’t you dare go there.” Looking up at Blake with the deepest concerned frown Weiss can manage, she cuts the faunus off. “She’s alive and well and we’ll find her and if it is the last thing I am doing.”

“Damn right there, Weiss.” Yang punches her fists together, determination all over her face. She is not losing another person. She is not losing Ruby. 

But in the middle of all this, it is Blake who stays the most level-headed. “Then how do we find her? We have no idea where this thing ran off to.”

“Easy. Technology, Blake.” Pulling out her scroll, Yang starts the tracking application Ruby insisted on getting all of them. She’s never been so happy for her little sister’s foresight as she enters Ruby’s contact, expecting the navigation system to show her the way to go. 

And it does.

Ruby’s scroll just seems way too close. 

All of their hearts drop into a pit when they hear the notification sound behind them, scroll laying abandoned and lost in the sand. 

* * *

The unfortunate circumstances continue to haunt Ruby. After being stranded in the middle of nowhere she has to discover that she must have dropped her scroll during the fight. Which means there is no way for her to contact anyone at all. She is truly alone. And of course there had not been any source of shade to rest under and think of a plan nearby. So, Ruby had tried to navigate using the only thing available to her: the sun. 

She knows approximately where the mission had required them to be, and her memory is good enough to be able to visualize the map of the desert they had studied the day before. And knowing what time it had been the last time she had checked… Ruby could guess that the sun should currently be guiding her south-west. 

The rest is a gamble. Either she is lucky and the Grimm dragged her south, then she would be heading almost straight for Oscuro Academy by going north, north-east. If she isn’t… and the Grimm dragged her anywhere else… 

Sighing, Ruby draws her hood further down into her face to shield herself away from the sun. She is taking the gamble, heading north. Her mind drifts off, thoughts of her team surfacing. She can only imagine Yang and Blake. And Weiss. 

Weiss. 

It had happened right in front of her. Ruby doesn’t want to think about how her girlfriend is doing right now, if she is blaming herself for something none of them could have prevented anyways. 

It’s a question Ruby fears knowing the answer to. She knows Weiss too well.

* * *

It’s been two weeks by now. Two weeks and Weiss doesn’t know how she is still getting up each morning, how she is still walking around. At night, her mind wouldn’t let her rest, the scene replaying itself over and over again behind closed eyes and keeping her awake. The blame doesn’t help her either. During the day she busies herself with trying to be helpful, accompanying every single flight that sets out to look for the missing huntress. 

Although, Weiss notices the looks and whispers. After two weeks, no one expects to find Ruby alive. If at all. The headmaster of Shade Academy had already tried to gently tell them to stop a week ago. But the collective protests of the remaining members of Team RWBY, Team JN_R, CVFY and SSSN had stopped him quickly.

That doesn’t mean he would continue with the efforts endlessly. He had given them ten more days until he could no longer warrant the expenses of this rescue in front of the higher ups in Vacuo.

Weiss could see how everyone slowly lost hope. Except Blake, Yang and her. Weiss had already made plans to use what funds she has left of the Schnee Dust Company to continue on their own for a little while longer. 

To her, leaving is not an option as long as she still has means to keep on going. 

It’s on the last official day of the search that things seem to change. There had not been any trace or any sign at all. But now a small settlement had reported that they saw something decimating a small horde of Grimm in the distance. 

That hint is better than nothing. So they travel to the settlement to gather more information. Where and when and who had seen it. If there any more details that had been left out of the initial report. All they get is a vague direction and that it had happened two days ago. 

Enough time for whoever or whatever this was to relocate again. 

Still, they have to try. And if it is the last thing Weiss does.

“Weiss?” Blake interrupts her in the middle of checking her bag for any missing supplies. They would head out soon and she can’t afford leave anything essential behind. Especially not water and food. “Weiss, listen… Yang and I know you want to find her. But you are barely able to hold Myrtenaster without it shaking.”

“I am not going to stay behind if that’s what you are suggesting.” She doesn’t even look up to meet Blake’s concerned gaze. Instead, her hand finds her scroll. 

“Weiss-”

“I will go!” Unlocking the screen shows her the picture Ruby and her had taken last Summer in Patch. Both smiling, Ruby resting her head on Weiss’ shoulder as they look into the camera. She is crying and shaking. 

“If it were Yang who is lost… you would be doing the same.” Weiss whisper back.

It’s the last time they talk about this.

* * *

None of them expects to come across a small oasis in the middle of nowhere hours later. There is a small pond of water, trees offering shade. A few date palms look suspiciously devoid of their fruits. At the far end, beneath a rock, is what looks to be some sort of camp that still seems in use. 

Someone lives here to the best of their abilities. 

It’s Weiss who sees it first, who recognizes the tattered remains of a red fabric. She rushes over there as quickly as her current condition allows her to. 

“Ruby?!” She calls out, Blake and Yang soon joining her as they recognize what used to be Ruby’s cloak as well. They don’t get an answer. 

At least not right away. 

They wait for what feels like forever until they hear footsteps approaching. Blake and Yang ready their weapons, Weiss doesn’t. It’s like a sixth sense that tells her she doesn’t need to. 

And sure enough, there appears Ruby Rose. Worn out, thinner than she used to, tired. But it is Ruby, there is no mistaking it. They stare at each other for a moment, not sure if this is a dream or reality. Until Weiss breaks, uses the last bit of energy to close the distance and collapses right in Ruby’s arms. 

Blake and Yang soon follow.

* * *

It’s been sheer luck, Ruby reports several days later, well rested but still confined to the infirmary of Shade Academy. Just to be sure. Sheer luck that she stumbled over the oasis two days after the initial attack, with barely any energy left, hungry and dehydrated. Instead of continuing to walk around, she had decided to stay where she is. All the while hoping that someone would find her there. 

Not that Weiss cares much. The first night, Weiss had stayed beside Ruby the whole time. And for the first time in over two weeks she had been able to sleep properly. Ruby is back at her side, safe and sound and alive, her heartbeat in Weiss’ ears whenever she rests against Ruby’s chest.

It’s the best melody in all of Remnant. 

“Weiss?” 

She hums in acknowledgment, eyes closed and against her safe spot on top of Ruby. 

“I love you.”

It’s the first time in over two weeks that Weiss hears those three words, with the voice she loves so much. There is only one thing Weiss can do in response to that she looks up, teary eyed. Something she will do as much as she can now. Answer. 

“I love you, too.”


	31. Teenagers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Teenagers  
> Writer: Winter1112

"Friend Ruby, while I appreciate being invited along, I must inquire as to what our destination is." Penny Polendina asks Ruby Rose as they drive through Vale's lunchtime traffic. She has already witnessed three near collisions, as well as a man who looked disturbingly like Sun WuKong almost get run over. Calculating their odds, she's trying not to devolve into a full blown panic attack as Ruby continues to drive in a still inexperienced fashion.

"Penny, I've decided that I'm ready." The rabbit faunus woman replies as she shifts gears in a surprisingly expertly fashion to slow her car down. "I'm gonna ask Weiss to marry me!"

"That's wonderful news!" The android girl claps her hands together joyfully as she smiles brightly. "And I assume you are bringing me to render my opinion on potential rings?"

Ruby nods as she slows to a stop at a red light, entirely too close to the car in front of her for Penny's tastes. "Yup. Seeing as how you're one of my best friends, and Yang's taste in jewelry sucks rocks, you are officially my ring selection buddy!"

"Excellent! I shall do my best not to let you down!" Penny replies with a matching grin, while also monitoring their progress.

"I know you won't, Pen. Oh, there it is!" She declares happily as she uses an ear to point at a store front, The Blaine Company emblazoned on the front marquee. "Willow and Cinny both swear to their quality!"

"I don't see anywhere to park." Penny comments as she looks around, grateful there is no nearby traffic. "For at least a half kilometer."

"Oh come on! I drive a small car! There's nowhere I can squeeze in?"

"Unfortunately no. Despite this being a smaller than normal Tonda del Solstice, there is nowhere to park." She repeats herself. "And where did this thing even come from?"

"I bought it, thank you!" The Reaper declares proudly. "I got an awesome bonus for bringing down an Ancient Class Beringel with Winter, Weiss and Willow during the summer break. Weiss saved hers, Willow used hers on an engagement ring for Neo, and Winter blew hers on clothes."

"That unfortunately does sound like Winter." The android replies with a knowledgeable nod. "She is terrible with money. Which also begs the question of how will you afford a ring yourself?"

Ruby giggles. "I started a little business on the side at Beacon. Been doing weapon repairs and upgrades for reasonable prices. I've been making a killing!"

Penny nods. "I saw your flyer on the message board back at the dorm." She replies. "Jaune is trying to save up for an upgrade to his shield."

"I know, he wants me to replace the cutting edges with adamantine." She replies absentmindedly as she turns a corner with signaling, partially scaring the combat android. "Anything yet?"

Penny looks as a means of distracting herself. "Indeed there is. There's a parking spot in four hundred meters." She informs the Reaper as she points.

"That's awesome!" Ruby cheers as her ears thump on the roof. "Ow! I'm still not used to that!"

The android girl giggles. "I'm more surprised you even have a license. I don't believe Weiss is aware of this fact yet, either."

"Oh she is." The Reaper replies as she reaches the spot and turns on her turn signal. "She's who took me to get it in her car."

"Wait, Weiss has a vehicle as well?"

"Had." Ruby corrects her absentmindedly as she carefully parallel parks. "Remember when I said she had a car?"

"Yes?" The ginger replies hesitantly.

"Yeah, it's how we found the Beringel. We slammed into it on the way to Zagama Beach during Spring Break a few months ago." She explains as she finishes parking and turns her car off. "It's why she saved her bonus, cause I went and bought this."

Penny can't help but nod even as she comes to believe that Weiss is also who taught Ruby how to drive. "Let me guess, collisions into Grimm aren't covered by her insurance?"

"Winner winner chicken dinner!" The reddish black haired faunus girl replies. "Out! I'm climbing through."

"Ruby! You are five feet, seven inches tall! That is not a good idea!" Penny protests as she climbs out of the low sitting vehicle herself, already regretting letting Ruby choose the sandals she is wearing. They are thin, have no protection for her surprisingly sensitive toes, and they just feel flimsy.

"Well I don't want to end up like that Beringel!" She declares as she slowly and carefully extracates herself from her Donda, a grin on her face. "It was already partially flattened when we finished it off."

"Touché. Point to you, Ruby." The android takes a minute to adjust her clothes, frowning at her shorts. "I do not like these kinds of shorts like you and Pyrrha do, Ruby. I feel like the bottom of my bottom hangs out."

It's Ruby's turn to snicker as she removes her jet black scythe Retribution from atop the rear storage compartments and sets it on her back right above her cottontail, then closes and locks her car. "Tough, you look great in them and you obviously missed Jaune drooling at all the leg you're showing off."

"Why are you so scandalous?!" The android protests as she blushes furiously.

"Cause I'm a rabbit faunus. No verbal filters and we have the rampant libedos to back up our perverted thoughts and sex talk." Ruby smirks as she winks. "Besides, I'm nowhere near as bad as Velvet."

"I refuse to believe that!" Penny declares as she and Ruby loop their arms together and begin walking. "Velvet is nothing but polite, shy, and demure!"

"Ha!" The Reaper snorts as she grins. "If you only knew! Velvet can out-perv me any day of the week and three times on Sunday! It's all Coco can do to keep up with her!"

"I declare shenanigans!"

"Go ahead, ask Weiss!"

"Fine! I will when we return." Penny declares firmly as they finally turn the corner and begin to walk towards the jewelry store. "Because I refuse to believe you!"

Ruby shrugs as her ears rotate cautiously, her nose twitching cutely and her eyes moving constantly. "I hate coming to this part of Vale." She mumbles.

"Let someone deride you, Ruby. I will feed them all twenty six of their teeth." Penny replies loudly enough to be overheard. 

Fortunately though, almost everyone in Vale has heard of the Red Reaper and the Mechanical Knight over the past two years of wild adventures, accidentally saving the world, as well as a disturbing incident involving a grimmified chicken last year at Veteran's Park near the end of Beacon's school year. All of this combined allows them to continue onward relatively unmolested until they arrive at the Blaine Company, where a man in a suit and with no neck whatsoever stands in front of the dust reinforced doors.

"Do you have an appointment, Miss Rose?" He asks politely as he bows his head, which is so cleanly shaven it almost shines in the early afternoon light.

Ruby blinks. "This place is by appointment only?!"

"Normally yes. But for you, I was already planning on making an exception." He admits with a chuckle. "Besides, I recognize you from open mic night at Dave's."

"Oh. Well thanks! I promise to behave." She replies happily, her cottontail wagging in her delight.

"I however do need you to check your weapons with me." He adds as he opens a nearby safe, a pair of familiar looking scimitars already inside.

"It appears Cinder is already present." Penny points out as Ruby hands over Retribution.

"Explains why she said no yesterday." Ruby replies quietly. "I guess she's jewelry shopping herself."

"I don't blame you for asking her first. Her taste in jewelry is impeccable." The two of them once again link arms and try to move forward, only to be stopped by no neck.

"Miss Polendina, I require your swords as well." He informs the android girl, who blinks in surprise.

"How do you know about them?" She asks curiously.

"You're both near the top of a list of potential issues." He deadpans. "Along with Miss Fall, who is inside because she cooperated."

"We're on Vale's 'Oh Shit!' list?! That's awesome!" Ruby declares happily as she pumps a fist in the air in triumph. "I can't wait to tell Weiss!"

"Couldn't you just accept a promise that I will not use them?" She asks nervously as she looks at him while ignoring the still cheering rabbit faunus. 

"No."

"I left them with my boyfriend?" She offers weakly.

"Miss Polendina, I was not born yesterday. I am also well aware of the fact that you are in fact normally heavily armed to a level that I normally cannot overlook. I am however willing to let it go as long as you turn in your swords." He admonishes her firmly.

Penny blushes. "Then do you have someplace a bit more private?" She whispers. "I'm not in my combat gear." She adds as she motions to her Grimby the Saber t-shirt, which Pyrrha had insisted on her wearing. 

The man points to a small curtained off area. "In there. And all eight of them please."

"Dammit. Ruby, your assistance please?"

"Sure Pen." 

Once Ruby passes the last of the deactivated blades through the curtain and the two women emerge with Penny once again fully dressed, they are each given tickets for their weapons before being granted access to the store. 

"Wow." Ruby whistles as she stares. 

"Indeed. Now I see why they insisted on us being disarmed." Penny agrees as she waves to Cinder, who is sitting with a salesman. Cinder of course smiles as she waves back before returning to her own conversation.

"Can I help you?" An older blonde haired human woman asks as she walks up. But both girls instantly groan internally at the look in her eyes.

It screams she's not happy about helping them because of Ruby being a faunus.

"Yes ma'am, I'd like to see your engagement rings." Ruby requests politely as her ears flop down to sit flat on her head, no doubt to try to minimize the situation. 

"Do you have a specific price in mind?" She asks smoothly. "That can help me figure out which display case to escort you to."

"Don't let the bootie shorts, tank top, and old sneakers fool you, that's a loaded bunny!" Cinder calls out, her large ears picking up the conversation easily.

Ruby nods in agreement. "I'll make my own decision on what I can afford." She adds as she keeps her eyes focused on the saleswoman. 

"Very well, follow me please." She replies curtly before turning and leading them to a case near to where Cinder is currently sitting.

"Wasn't expecting you to come here, Ruby." Cinder admits as she stands and hugs the Reaper.

"I want Weiss to have the very best, Cinny." She replies as she returns the shorter woman's hug. "She deserves it."

"You sound like Willow when she came shopping for Neo's ring last month." The fennec fox giggles. "Ran poor Patrick here ragged for hours."

"Ah, it's no problem at all." The young man replies with a genuine smile. "And she finally decided on an absolutely marvelous piece."

"Yes, thank you Patrick. I'll handle this from here." The older woman cuts him off bluntly, before looking at the Reaper. "This is some of my finest jewelry that I have in stock. And if I'm correct, you are planning on proposing to Weiss Schnee?"

Ruby nods as she stops looking at jewelry to look at her. "I am."

"Then you may not find what may be considered adequate by her family here." She replies insultingly, yet politely. "We aren't the best retailer in Vale for engagement rings of a woman of her high social standing in Atlesian society."

"What are you trying to say?" Ruby retorts as her eyes flash dangerously. "That I'm dating well above my pay grade?"

"Perhaps. Besides, you're Ruby Rose, correct? Don't you believe that you're still a bit too young to even be considering this?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cinder asks with a growl as she stands, while Patrick looks nervously between the women.

"Allow me to spell this out for you then." She declares as she crosses her arms across her chest. "Because you're still a teenager, not a full adult yet in emotional maturity or in some of your actions." The older woman points out. "Overgrown children playing at being adults with dangerous weapons while still in a school that shelters you from the real hardships of life."

Penny can feel Ruby trembling in barely contained rage. Not good. Ruby may be laid back and energetic, she may even struggle sometimes with her fight or flight instincts, but she does have a ruthless and vicious temper she rightfully inherited from her mother and grandmother both. And this woman is now pushing that temper? "Excuse me, Ma'am? I think you've got your facts all wrong." 

"No, I have them right." She counters. "What does a seventeen year old know about love? Hmmm? You're no doubt still learning to dress yourself without help, although I do have my doubts there." She adds as she adds an intentional dig at Ruby's sparse attire.

"Mom, I think you need to stop now." Patrick calls out quietly. "They're on the list." He reminds her.

"A mistake I'm sure of. Imagine, three teenage girls being put on a list that has actual legends like Raven Branwen and Glynda Goodwitch on it?" She snorts. "Even I find that impossible. No teenager is capable of the same heights of daring, destruction, and violence that those two alone are well known for."

Ruby is trembling violently now, her hands balled into such tight fists that Penny, Cinder and even Patrick can see her scarred knuckles turning red, then white. And Penny herself is beginning to realize that she at least misread the look in her eyes. It wasn't because Ruby's a faunus, it's because of her age.

"Patrick, thank you for all your help." Cinder declares as she takes the Reaper's free arm. "I believe the three of us will be going now."

Penny nods as she keeps a tight grasp of her own on Ruby. "You have a beautiful store. It was a pleasure to see it."

"Please, don't feel free to return." Gwyn calls out after them. "Tell all your friends who also found their way onto the watch list as well."

"Ok, that's it!" Ruby declares angrily as she turns to look back at the older blonde, dragging both Penny and Cinder bodily around with her. "What's your deal, lady?! What, are you another one of those people who hates my mom and is taking it out on me?!"

Gwyn levels a look at Ruby. It isn't a look of anger, or pain, or even disdain anymore. It's one of deep sorrow. "I've known Summer personally since I was a third year at Beacon during her first." She admits quietly. "My old huntress team is who she personally asked to bring your father and Taiyang back. She and Elizabeth trusted in no one else to do so, and I still consider it an honor to this day."

"Wait…"

"Ruby, my problem is you're on a list that should be a mark of shame, not a point of great pride. Your mother has been at the top of that list since she was fifteen years old herself and the newly crowned leader of team STRQ." The older woman continues quietly. "And I see you, and I see far too much of that wild, irresponsible, free spirited, hormone driven woman in you."

"That still gives you no right to be as insulting as you have been to her." Penny retorts as she glares daggers at her.

"Yes, it does. Because in the end, all of you are simply foolish little teenagers who are guilty of all I have said before. Because you have had nothing but wild luck on your side, and have yet to experience what it truly means to be an adult." She looks at each of them as she speaks, her gaze never wavering while certain things are left unsaid, yet completely understood in the silence.

But Cinder and Penny are both shocked when Ruby walks up and holds out a hand to the former huntress, to their surprise a look of gratitude on her face. "Thank you for bringing my Dad and Uncle home. I know it couldn't have been easy."

She nods as she shakes hands with Ruby, her own brown orbs locked onto her quicksilver. "Turn nineteen, Miss Rose. Enjoy a bit more time with Miss Schnee as things are now before making such a life changing commitment to her. Continue to prepare to stand on your own two feet with your team and your friends and allies at your side. Do all of this, then return to me. I will be more than happy to help you prepare for said event then.

Ruby nods in agreement as they break the physical contact. "Yes ma'am. And thank you for the advice. To be honest, no one's ever said that to me before, and I do plan on giving it a lot of thought."

"Good, and Ruby?" 

Ruby stops turning to look back at her. "Ma'am?"

"I will continue to cheer you and Weiss on. All of Vale is a buzz of the White Rose couple and their fantastic adventures." She smiles. "And I know personally that Qrow would be proud of all the property damage you have caused."

Ruby smiles brilliantly as she nods. "Mom always tells me the same thing. If you'll excuse us." 

Gwyn Blaine smiles as she watches the three second years leave the jewelry store she started with her own now long departed wife after that horrible mission to bring Qrow Branwen and Taiyang Xiao Long home for a proper burial. She lost Miyo two years later to a low priority hunt that had been badly mislabeled and which had claimed her life. A life she had sacrificed willing to save the rookie team she agreed to accompany that fateful day. And now she can only pray that the harsh life lesson she just gave Ruby Rose will indeed sink in, and not fall on deaf foot long ears.

* * *

-Two Years Later-

* * *

Weiss smiles as she enters the jewelry store Ruby informed her that her beautiful engagement ring came from. She needs it resized just a touch smaller, and Ruby assured her that it could be done there. Looking around, her smile brightens as a young man approaches her.

"Good afternoon! My name is Patrick, and you must be the soon to be Mrs. Ruby Rose." He greets her enthusiastically as he offers a hand, one she takes and shakes warmly.

"The last name is still under dispute, but you're correct otherwise." She replies. "Ruby informed me that my engagement ring came from here, and that resizing is part of the warranty she purchased?" She adds the last in a questioning tone.

"Indeed we can." His reply is still full of enthusiasm, which the wolf faunus woman has to admit is a bit infectious. "I do all the resizing myself here on sight, and personally guarantee one hundred percent satisfaction."

"We guarantee one hundred percent satisfaction, Miss Schnee." Gwyn corrects the younger man as she steps out of the backroom smiling. "Especially for a young woman who has impressed me greatly with her growth and emotional maturity, despite her penchant for causing massive property damage alongside yourself and others."

Weiss blushes a bit. "I have you to thank for that actually." She informs the older woman, who raises an eyebrow questioningly. "She told me about what you called her and told her two years ago, and it made a hell of an impression on her."

"Patrick, resize Miss Schnee's ring please. I find myself curious enough to invite her to partake in a cup of coffee with me while she waits." She orders her son kindly. 

"I'm guessing a half size too big?" He asks as he takes the offered ring with a smile.

"Actually yes, how did you know?" 

"It's a bit of a talent of mine." He admits with an embarrassed blush to his cheeks. 

"Indeed it is. Patrick handcrafts all our custom jewelry, including that ring Miss Rose ordered for you. A ring that even I consider one of his finest works." She praises. "Now, coffee?"

"Please?" Weiss replies as she follows the woman into the back, while the young man busies himself with his work.

"Now, you mentioned I made an impression on your beautiful rabbit faunus fiance?" She asks once they are settled at a small table in an equally small break area.

"Yes, and I have to thank you. As I even told her the other day when she proposed, had she done so two years ago, I would have said no, because I myself wasn't ready yet." Weiss admits to her before sipping at her coffee. "Don't get me wrong, my feelings for her have only grown stronger the past two years, but then? Neither of us had the emotional maturity to handle such an important life event."

Gwyn nods as she sips at her cup. "I still stand by what I said, Miss Schnee. She was still a teenager, with a teenager's view of the world. I trust that is no longer the case?"

Weiss nods happily. "Ruby grew up. And it started after that day. And in turn, we all grew up alongside her. Well, except for Yang and Nora, but a miracle may be required there."

"So I heard from Miss Fall recently. Some kind of incident involving fortifying maple syrup with dust?" She asks with a small smile.

"I'm still not allowed to discuss it. My mother has been called in to figure out just what in the hell those two did." She admits with a sigh. "Although Mama is beyond impressed."

Gwyn laughs at that, as well as the look of chagrin on the white wolf's face. "Well, I'm certainly glad to know that my advice was taken under advisement. It honestly broke my heart a bit to have to treat Ruby the same way I treated her mother during our own days in Beacon. But, it made Summer a better woman in the long run, and apparently Ruby as well." 

Weiss nods as she finishes her cup. "Ma'am, Penny told us verbatim all that was said. I…" she pauses as she looks at the empty coffee cup in her hands. "You were and are still correct. Even I never once realized that we still had so far to go until Ruby began to look at life with a huntress's eyes, and not an innocent child's or a headstrong adolescent's."

Gwyn reaches over and takes Weiss's hands in her own. "Then I have succeeded, future Mrs. Rose. I succeeded in making the next generation realize that what you do now is only a taste, and a well disguised one considered Ozzy is still Headmaster. He tends towards too much honey to cover the bitterness."

Weiss nods in agreement as she smiles back at her. "I cannot say this enough, but thank you. Thank you for denying Ruby service that day. She grew up, she developed emotional maturity, and has become a great leader, a greater friend, and will be the greatest wife I could ever hope for."

"You're welcome Weiss." She replies with a nod of her head to Patrick, who is standing at the doorway. "I believe you're ready."

Weiss nods as she stands and takes the offered ring back, smiling brightly at the way it now fit perfectly on her finger. "Thank you again, and I look forward to doing much more business with you."

Gwyn nods. "You're welcome. Oh, how is your sister?"

"Going on a year into her own marriage now, and as strong as ever." She replies. "Neo still shows off her ring to anyone who will look."

"Excellent. My regards to your sister and her wife."

"Of course." Weiss replies before leaving, a noticeable bounce to her step. 

Gwyn and Patrick watch her go, smiles on both their faces.

"All this makes you miss mom, doesn't it?" The young man asks as he takes the older woman's arm.

"I miss her, I don't miss all the shenanigans of our time at Beacon one bit, and it definitely sounds like Ruby is most definitely like her mother." Gwyn smiles at her son. "Thankfully, Ruby still hasn't surpassed her on the list."

"Actually, she did over the summer." He informs her with a grin. "Apparently, there was an incident at the CCT tower her and her friends were involved in."

"Dammit! Now I owe Summer that necklace she's been wanting!" She groans.

"Ahahahahaha!"


	32. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Summer  
> Writer: imaderice  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaderice/works

It's hot, unbearably so. The rays of the sun bearing down onto her with such intensity that she wondered if the high quality sunscreen she bought would be effective against it. Thin wisps of clouds across the sky were of no help to the blistering heat of the day. She was starting to regret agreeing to this outing she had agreed to instead of the confines of her air-conditioned apartment.

The fact that the air conditioner at the cafe that her and her friends frequent was out of commission. It finally gave in to the years of service it had endured, multiple repairs and parts replaced, but gave its last breath of cool air the day before summer vacation started. Even sitting near the entrance of the establishment did little to stave off the heat. Though it did bring proper circulation into the cafe, she can still feel summer in full swing from the door. The only salvation that Weiss had was the iced coffee she was sipping while scrolling through her phone. 

**Ruby 🌹**

_ 1:34PM Sorry! Got held up, I'll be there soon! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧ _

_ 1:59PM I'm on my way! (~￣³￣)~ _

She read the texts for the tenth time in the past hour, feeling bored as she switched back to Facebook. First thing she saw on her feed was a photo of Yang, her blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, smiling with her teeth. A pair of sunglasses on top of her head and wearing a white dress that reached her calves. Beside her was Blake, in the process of pushing her chin length hair behind one ear, smiling at the camera along with Yang, who's hand was wrapped around her waist. Blake wore black jeans with a white button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up above her elbows. 

_ Summer isn't the only thing hot this season. _ 😎☀️

They positioned themselves in front of red and white roses, sunflowers blooming brightly behind them. At the sides were various types of flowers. The garden was beautiful, more so in person. The great care that Yang's father had to the garden had paid off. 

She reacted to the photo with a heart, finding it unnecessary to comment.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," A voice said, slightly breathless. 

"At this point, Ruby," Weiss placed her phone, face down on the table as she looked into silver eyes with a teasing smile. "I'm surprised I didn't wait two hours."

Ruby sat down across from Weiss with a pout, her shoulders hunched forward. Weiss couldn't help but smile at how cute she looked, or how her eyes lit up when Weiss pushed a plate of cookies her way.

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked, hand hovered over the sweets. 

"I ordered them for you," Weiss stated, taking another sip of her iced coffee. 

"No fair!" Ruby whined, taking a bite of the chocolate chip cookie. "I asked you out this time, I should be the one paying." 

Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby's insistence of funding their first date. It was a nice change of pace, in her honest opinion, but she can still pay for whatever Ruby had planned for them that day. Granted, Weiss did pay for their dinner on their first date last week. She’ll relent and let Ruby pay for their dinner later in the evening.

"You're wearing white," Weiss noted, eyes landing on her date's attire. 

Ruby looked down at herself, lifting up the white v-neck shirt she wore with her thumb and forefinger. The necklace of what looked like a burning rose dangled from her neck, resting beneath her collar bone. Weiss couldn't remember a time she hasn't seen the accessory on Ruby, other than being underneath her hoodie. 

"Is there something wrong with it?" Ruby asked, raising a brow at Weiss. 

"Not at all," Weiss gestured to her own attire. "I find it interesting that we're somewhat matching." 

To stave off the summer heat, Weiss opted to wear a sleeveless red blouse with frills along the arm holes and wore grey shorts. Ruby had on a white shirt, a black and red flannel shirt tied around her waist, and blue jean shorts that reached her thighs, unlike Weiss which were far shorter. 

"Does this mean we're soulmates?" Ruby smiled, her chin propped up in the palm of her hand. 

"Perhaps," Weiss could swear she could see the gleam in Ruby's eyes as it widened slightly. She had to take another drink of her iced coffee to stop herself from smiling. 

Although, clearly both had a slight tinged of pink on their cheeks. 

When the plate was free of cookies, even the crumbs, they decided to leave. Ruby led her to the nearby park, and brought her to the large pond at the center. Despite the blistering heat of the day, there were still people who dared to be out and about. Although, with the park filled with many trees and the pond, it wasn't as hot when out on the streets of Vale. 

They spent the afternoon talking and walking around the park. Another nice thing about Ruby that Weiss liked was that they talked back and forth. Very different from the many suitors that her father had her date in the past. Most bragged about themselves in an attempt to be more appealing. There were a few she shared a decent conversation with, but none of them caught her attention the way Ruby did. 

When they grew tired, they sat on the grass, near the edge of the pond, under the shade of a tree. Weiss hesitated on the idea of sitting on the ground without some sort of blanket to sit on. Ruby who noticed her hesitation untied her flannel shirt and placed it on the ground. She sits down on the grass, patting the space beside her where the shirt was. 

"And they say chivalry is dead," Weiss commented. 

"Call me a necromancer then, cuz I brought it back to life," Ruby laughed, leaning back on her arms.

Once Weiss was seated, Ruby took out a paper bag full of oats from her messenger backpack. 

"Why not just use bread?" Weiss asked as she threw a handful of oats into the pond.

The several ducks that waded through the murky waters of the pond turned their heads in their direction. They promptly gobbled up the food that floated along the water, quacking away as if demanding more food from them. 

"Bread is bad for ducks," Ruby said, throwing more of the oats. "When I was a kid someone told me and Yang not to feed them bread, popcorn or chips. They can't digest those properly." 

Weiss hummed in response, reveling in the information given to her. She didn’t see the way Ruby’s expression changed to something more somber, by the time Weiss faced her again she was smiling softly at her, placing the oats between them. She had always thought bread was the best option to feed ducks at the park, it's what she saw in movies after all. Then again, she wouldn't be surprised that even that kind of misinformation has been shown in the media. 

"How are you liking Vale so far?" Ruby asked, ignoring the ducks for the moment to glance at Weiss. 

"The first few months were stressful, to say the least," Weiss admitted and Ruby snorted. 

"That's an understatement," She muttered. 

"Hush you," Weiss glared at Ruby, who seemed more entertained than intimidated. "Your sister and her girlfriend were of no help."

"You and Blake started on the wrong foot and Yang was just...being a Yang," Ruby shrugged, her finger dipped in the oats and swirling it around.

"Did you just use your sister's name as a verb," Weiss blinked, brows furrowed.

"Don't be such a Weiss, Weiss," Ruby smirked,

"Wha- how dare- Ruby!" 

Ruby laughed, raising her arms in defence of Weiss’ attacks. Usually Weiss wasn’t one to let these kinds of transgressions to be let off quickly. No, she would give whoever said it a piece of her mind. Ruby was different though, even if when they met it had been...messy. 

It didn’t stop Ruby to make it up to Weiss in some way. Ruby was persistent and had offered to be the one to help her to her classes, that’s when they knew they had the same advanced subjects. It was also how she met Yang and Blake. Ruby had stuck by her side throughout the first half of their school year, the only time that they had been separated were the christmas holidays that forced Weiss to go back to Atlas to attend the luxurious ballroom events her father  _ requested _ that she perform in. 

They still kept in contact with each other throughout the break, it was then that Weiss had realized she had missed the presence of her hyperactive and childish friend. When they went back to school Weiss had been less harsh towards Ruby, which in turn had her spend time with Ruby at their quaint log house on the outskirts of town. It was there that her relationship with Yang and Blake improved. She couldn’t fathom the thought of them not being in her life anymore. 

“Do you want to listen to some music?” Ruby suggested. 

At some point she had brought out her phone, and offered one end of her earphones for Weiss. She knew of Ruby’s taste in music, not particularly a fan of most of them. She can appreciate the musical skill that they portrayed, it’s just, they’re so loud. 

“I’m not gonna play the ones from my personal playlist,” Ruby said, somehow knowing what she was thinking. 

“You listen to songs other than the ones screaming in your ears?” Weiss asked and she bit her tongue, realizing how rude it had sounded. Instead of being offended however, Ruby just laughed. 

“From time to time, depending on my mood,” Ruby said as Weiss took the earbud. “You just happen to catch me most of the time listening to one of the intense bands that I like.” 

Weiss shuffled closer, their shoulders almost touching. She doesn't notice the way Ruby froze, nor the way her thumb trembled as she scrolled through her music play on her phone. She was too busy reading the list of songs. Weiss leaned in closer, her chin grazing Ruby’s shoulder to get a better look. One particular title caught her eye, it had intrigued her.

“What about this one?” Weiss pointed. 

“Oh, yeah sure,” Ruby said a bit too quickly, clicking on the song without thinking. 

The first thing Weiss heard was the drum’s bass and snare, followed not a moment later by electric guitars. She liked the melody that the second guitar played along with the strumming of the first. Ruby paled as soon as she recognized the song.

_ She never drives her car _

_ She drives me crazy _

_ She ran outta gas and somehow I'm to blame _

Weiss turns to Ruby with one meticulous eyebrow raised accompanied with a blank stare. Ruby laughed nervously, and rubbed the back of her neck with a sheepish smile. At first she didn’t want to assume that this song was somehow about her, but the way Ruby had reacted, having the worst poker face in the world, had proven her right. She did say earlier that she listens to these types of songs depending on her mood.

Weiss missed the chorus of the song and had only heard the second verse.

_ She spends her daddy's credit card _

_ And says that I'm the one who's lazy _

_ She's like a dream and a nightmare coming true _

“Weiss, wait-”

She was cut off when Weiss narrowed her eyes at Ruby, who had let out a terrified squeak. Ruby’s face was flushed against her tan skin, from a light pink and slowly turning darker. Weiss swore she could feel the vein on her head bulging out from her temple. She was about to rip out the earbud but stopped as the chorus started to play.

_ I'll take her out and drop her off _

_ On the outskirts of our town _

_ I'd leave a trail of roses that lead back home _

_ (So come back home) _

_ She'll pick a fight for no good reason _

_ She knows I'll never leave _

_ I love her half to death but she's killing me _

Weiss felt her heart jump into her throat at the implication of the words. True they have been dating for quite some time, maybe a month at most. Even then they have not discussed their relationship on what it is, they meant to but somehow they couldn’t bring themselves to talk about it. Whenever someone asked them, they answered that they were merely seeing each other, going on dates to see where it leads. But Weiss couldn’t deny that they have been inseparable, just like how Yang revolved around Blake. 

_ And I wouldn't have it any other way _

_ She can change her clothes _

_ She can change her hair _

_ But she'll always be the same _

Suddenly Weiss remembered the subtle touches they did from time to time. How their hands would gravitate towards each other under the lunch table, their fingers intertwined, palms pressed against the plastic bench. Their pinkies hooked together as they walked down the halls. Ruby waiting by the door of Weiss’ classes when it ends. Weiss sitting on the bleachers as Ruby trained for track and field.

_ So I went out and bought her roses _

_ She complained about the thorns _

_ I caught her smiling and that's what I do it for _

“Weiss-” Ruby managed to say before swallowing thickly, her face a deep red. “I swear, I-I don’t think you blame me for anything or that you’re lazy just cuz you use your dad’s credit card. I think you’re amazing and great and really smart. You’re really dedicated too an-” 

“Ruby,” Weiss cuts her off, she can feel her blush was worse off, knowing full well that her entire face and chest were a bright red, even her ears. “You’re rambling again.” 

“I-uh...sorry.” Ruby breathed out, hiding her face in her hands. 

The silence between them grew awkward, Ruby still embarrassed by the whole debacle still hid behind her hands. Weiss bit her lower lip, fiddling with the hem of her blouse. They were just thankful that it wasn’t full silence, by now the song had ended and a random one had played next, the ducks had stayed close, but kept their distance, hoping for more treats. Weiss wanting to do something other than awkwardly staring at nothing decided to throw a handful of oats onto the water.

The splash of water and ducks quacking didn’t make the silence between them less awkward at all. Weiss coughed behind a fist, gaining the attention of Ruby, who peaked through her fingers. The blush had lessened, leaving a slight pink color on her tan skin. 

“So,” Weiss started and licked her lips. “Depending on your mood?” 

Ruby nodded, her blush darkened slightly, hands lowered onto her lap. Weiss took a deep breath, turning her head away as she held out her hand. She feels Ruby’s fingertips brushing against her skin, sending a shiver up her spine. Weiss looks back at Ruby as their hands come together. Ruby lifted her hand close, she kissed her knuckles softly and Weiss felt the air leave her lungs. Her heart pounded against her chest, pounded against her ears that she can barely hear the music playing from the earbud. 

She almost missed Ruby calling out her name.

“Weiss?” 

“Yes?

“May I kiss you?” 

“ _ Yes,”  _

* * *

Weiss sat with her back straight and stuff on the couch, legs crossed and hands on her lap. She tapped her finger on her knee in time with the grandfather clock in the living room. Blake sat on the loveseat to her left, her legs tucked underneath her with a book in hand. Blake wore blue skinny jeans, with a white button up short sleeved shirt and a purple vest over it. The ears on top of her head were pointed forward. Weiss learned from Yang it meant that she was content or relaxed, maybe even playful. Weiss hoped she didn't feel playful.

"Relax," 

"I can't," 

Blake's ears flicked before it went back to its previous position. "It's a simple outing, nothing too complicated about it to worry over." 

Before Weiss could reply to her, the sound of a crash came from above caught her attention. Blake flipped the page of her book. They could hear running followed by laughter as Yang and Ruby came down the stairs three steps at a time, they basically jumped down from the second floor. Ruby wore a white strap dress with a rose floral pattern that reached her thighs, Weiss saw the shorts she wore underneath when Ruby jumped down on the last steps of the stairs with a thump. Weiss' cheeks flushed and turned to face the TV, ignoring the look Blake gave her over her book. 

Yang soon followed after Ruby, wearing her own white strap dress, but instead of roses, her dress had a sunflower floral pattern. She held a pair of heels in her hands as she chased down Ruby.

"Girls, are you ready yet?" Taiyang called from the kitchen.

"No!" Both shouted followed by a bout of giggles. 

Weiss tried to focus on the movie the TV showed. It was one the four of them watched in one of their movie nights. When they learned that Weiss wasn't given the freedom of watching cartoons when she had turned eight the sisters insisted to educate her. 

The movie was about a man who turned into a bear because of his hatred. He had to reverse the curse by learning how to be a man through love. In the end, out of love for a bear cub he befriended, he had decided to stay as a bear to be with him. 

"You know, Ruby isn't usually like this on this particular day," Blake's amber eyes never left the pages of her book. "It's usually quiet." 

"It does hold great meaning to them as a family," Weiss uncrossed her legs, fingers tapping against her thigh in a certain pattern, as if she were playing the piano. 

"Weiss, please, you being anxious is making me anxious just by watching you," Blake said with an exasperated sigh, her ears turned back.

"I shouldn't be here," Weiss mumbled and paused from her tapping. 

"But Ruby wants you to be here," Blake closed her book, placing it on the coffee table. "I know it's a little nerve wrecking, I felt the same way when Yang asked me."

Weiss breathed in deeply through her nose and slowly breathed out through her mouth. Blake was right, Ruby asked her to join them. Ruby willingly invited Weiss to such a significant outing. 

Laughter filled the entire house again as the sisters ran from the dining room and into the living room. Ruby vaulted over the recliner chair like the hurdles she jumps over in track and field. Ruby positioned herself behind Blake just as Yang came in. 

"It's just for today, Ruby," Yang panted. 

"Yang, honey," Blake said with a smile as she leaned her elbow on her knee, chin propped up in the palm of her hand, fingers curled except for her forefinger that was tapping her cheek. "You're sweating." 

"Ruby, you too," Weiss said and wrinkled her nose. Although, she was better off than her sister was. "Come here, you dolt." 

"No!" Ruby pointed a finger at Yang, scowling. "I'm not letting Yang make me wear those damn lady stilts!" 

Yang laughed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. She jumped to her right and Ruby went the opposite direction. It was a stand off between the two with Ruby scowling and eyes narrowed at her sister. Yang narrows her lilac eyes too, but she was smiling. 

Weiss realized that Yang wasn't really going to force Ruby to wear the heels and was just messing with her at this point. 

In a blink of an eye Blake grabbed Ruby's wrist, keeping her in place. Ruby shrieked as Yang sprang forward. In her haste to grab Ruby, Blake didn't have a proper hold on her wrist and had soon lost her grip after a few tugs. By the time Yang had reached the loveseat, Ruby had already moved behind Weiss. 

"For the love of-" Weiss threw her hands in the air in exasperation and pointed at Yang. "You, stop messing with your sister, and you," She turned behind her to look at Ruby with a frown and pointed at the seat beside her. "Sit down, right now." 

"Can't tell me what to do, ice queen," Yang exclaimed. 

Ruby, however, grumbled with a pout and did as told. Yang flicked her wrist at her and made a sound similar to what a whip would with her mouth. Weiss rolled her eyes at the teasing and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sheen of sweat on Ruby's forehead.

"Yang, come here," Blake said, placed her feet to the floor and made room for her on the loveseat. 

"Aight, babe," Yang said 

"And she says I'm whipped," Ruby muttered. 

Weiss noticed the way Blake's ears twitched before she snorted. 

"What?" Yang asked, facing Blake. "What did she say?!' 

"It's nothing," Blake grabbed a hair brush from her purse. "Sit still so I can fix your hair." 

Taiyang emerges from the kitchen, a large picnic basket in hand, pulling a wheeled cooler behind him. By then Weiss and Blake had managed to have both of their girlfriends look decent and less like they ran a marathon. Ruby ran towards the door, putting on some sandals before Yang could get her to wear heels and stuck out her tongue at Yang. 

"Why do I feel like you both haven't grown at all," Taiyang commented, scratching the back of his head.

Yang only laughed in response, wrapped her arm around Blake's waist and pulled her close. Blake kissed her cheek, causing them to flush that her freckles almost blended with the blush.

Ruby took the wheeled cooler from Taiyang, pulling it behind her with her left hand. Weiss had fallen in step beside Ruby, their hands immediately reached out for each other. As they walked behind the group with Taiyang leading the way and Ruby swinging their arms back and forth between them. 

They walked along a dirt path through the wood, logs cut in half placed at the sides of the walkway. Weiss admired the small and subtle decorations that lined the path. The different colored birdhouses of various sizes and styles, the branches being trimmed consistently so as to let the sun’s rays to light up the path. It was going to be impossible for anyone to lose their way if they just stayed on the path. Occasionally, she would see small statues at the base of the trees. Weiss wondered if there were any significance to them. 

“You look great, by the way,” Ruby commented. 

Despite being such a simple compliment Weiss' face turned a bright shade of red with the way Ruby had said it with so much love and adoration. Weiss looked down at the white off shoulder dress she wore, slightly conscious of the fact that with so much skin exposed showed her chest and neck slowly turning red. 

“Thank you,” Weiss said timidly. “You look amazing as well.” 

Ruby smiled wider, both unaware of Yang and Blake glancing back at them with knowing smiles, whispering to each other.

It took them a little over fifteen minutes to reach their destination, which was a cliff that overlooked more of the forest outside of Vale. The view had taken Weiss’ breath away, with the bright and sunny weather, it was like she was looking into a painting. On the horizon were mountains that surrounded the forestry from down below. To the far right, Weiss can make out the highway that cuts through the trees that led to the next city. The cars that came and went were nothing more than colorful dots from where they stood. 

Ruby squeezed Weiss’ hand to get her attention, and when Weiss turned to look at her she gestured her head to the side with a smile, where Yang and Tai were placing a picnic blanket down next to a slab of concrete. Blake knelt down next to it and placed a simple vase and several roses. Upon closer inspection, Weiss realized that the slab of concrete was a tombstone.

Blake rose to her feet and took the cooler from Ruby, helping the others set up. 

_ Summer Rose _

_ June 21, 1963 - September 11, 2001 _

_ Thus kindly, I scatter _

“Ruby,” Weiss breathed, her grip tightened around Ruby’s hand. She thought it was just going to be a picnic in the forest, a family tradition that they seemed to do every year on the twenty first of June. The matching white attire seemed to now make sense to Weiss.

“Hey mom,” Ruby wrapped an arm around Weiss’ waist, pulling her close. “This is Weiss, my girlfriend.” 

“H-Hello, Mrs. Rose,” Weiss stuttered out nervously.

Weiss found it hard to form words. Ruby had invited Weiss, brought her here to meet her deceased mother. It had only been a year of them being officially girlfriends and yet Ruby was willing to bring Weiss into this part of her life. To see a more vulnerable part of her. She knew that Ruby hardly talked about her mother, she mentioned her from time to time, but it was a rarity. Weiss could only think of one thing to show her gratitude. 

Thinking back to their dates at the park, sitting under the tree, feeding the ducks while listening to music from Ruby’s phone. There was one song that had struck Weiss in a way she couldn’t describe, that had somehow moved something in her that when she went home she had looked up the song, even learned it on the piano. It was then that Weiss learned of Ruby’s Scottish lineage, of her mother who sang to them traditional celtic songs at night.

It had resonated within her, in a way no other song did. Weiss took a deep breath and closed her eyes and let the notes fall from her lips and be carried into the wind.

_ Of all the money that e'er I had _

_ I spent it in good company _

_ And all the harm I've ever done _

_ Alas, it was to none but me _

_ So fill to me the parting glass _

_ Good night and joy be with you all _

Ruby’s breath hitched beside her the moment she softly sang the words, but she continued on and what had started off as a whisper, grew slightly in volume as she sang. Weiss didn’t know why she had an urge to sing this particular song, but strangely, it seemed fitting for the occasion.

_ If I had money enough to spend _

_ And leisure time to sit awhile _

_ There is a fair maid in the town _

_ That sorely has my heart beguiled _

_ Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips _

_ She alone has my heart enthralled _

Weiss brought a hand to her chest as she sang on. She felt a pair of eyes on her and Weiss knew it was Ruby. Weiss opened her eyes and turned to look at those silver orbs that were wide with shock. A storm of emotions passed through Ruby’s face, lips parted slightly, moving as if to say something but not being able to grasp the words she wanted to say.

_ Of all the comrades that e'er I had _

_ They are sorry for my going away _

_ And all the sweethearts that e'er I had _

_ They would wish me one more da- _

The tears that welled up in Ruby’s eyes finally made Weiss stop and took a step back. From the way that Ruby had reacted Weiss had thought that she had overstepped her bounds. It was then she noticed the silence that surrounded them, she turned her head to see the others looking at her.

Yang watched her with wide eyes, undeterred by the way her hair flew across her face. Blake’s ears stood up straight on top of her head, looking quite impressed. Taiyang seemed to be looking at her curiously, eyes slightly narrowed, if Weiss didn’t feel like she had done something wrong she would’ve noticed him grinning softly. 

“I-” 

“Weiss, how do you know that song?” Yang asked

“I heard it once,” Weiss answered timidly, her left hand clutching her right elbow. “F-From Ruby.” 

“And you just learned after?” Tai questioned and Weiss nodded, finding it hard to say the words out loud. He leaned back on his arms, gazing up at the sky above. “I haven’t heard singing like that in years. You sang it beautifully.”

“You look like an old man like that dad,” Yang snickered. Tai flicked her ear. “Hey!” 

“I’m not that old, you brat,” Tai sneered at her, smiling.

Just like that, they all went back to whatever they were doing. As if nothing had happened. Weiss was in a state of shock, a compliment was not something she had expected from him, she expected more of a reprimand for her carelessness, for being insensitive. 

“Hey,” Ruby whispered, taking hold of Weiss’ hands. “I-I didn’t think you liked that song that much.” 

“Me neither,” Weiss rubbed her thumbs along the back of Ruby’s hands. “I couldn’t get it out of my head and just learned it, I suppose.” 

Weiss sometimes forgets how much taller Ruby is when she wasn’t wearing heels. She remembered the times she would actually forgo the heels in favor for some sneakers or sandals. Like the time they had spent their date at the park. A sudden realization had washed over Weiss, and she looked up at Ruby.

“Last year,” Weiss said. “When you were late to our date.”

“We had started late, so it took awhile for me to get to downtown Vale,” Ruby said softly. “Didn’t help Yang wanted me to take a picture of her and Blake because Dad is horrible at it.”

“We could’ve postponed,” Weiss frowned. “I would’ve understood.” 

“It was the only day you were available for weeks,” Ruby shook her head, eyes averted to the ground. “I wanted to see you, so It’s fine.” 

It didn’t feel fine for Weiss, but it wasn’t like she could’ve gone back in time to change things. Ruby pulled Weiss close. "Thank you, by the way," 

"Anything for you, Ruby," Weiss pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. "I'm honored you asked me to come."

“Guys! No PDA!” Yang yelled at them with faux annoyance. Both looked back to see her gesturing to her plate. “Not in front of my salad!” 

Blake laughed behind her hand, Yang glanced at her and couldn’t help but laugh along with her. Taiyang only shook his head as he motioned for Ruby and Weiss to sit down so that they could eat lunch. Ruby picked up a grape from the fruit bowl, throwing it at Yang. Weiss slapped her shoulder about wasting food while Yang merely dodged the fruit thrown her way. 

A cool gentle breeze passed by them, almost like a caress. Weiss felt a shiver go up her spine and could’ve sworn she saw the Xiao Long-Rose family freeze in their movements for a fraction of a second. Taiyang was the first to move, handing Weiss a small serving of the soup dumpling he had made that morning. Yang dug into her salad while Ruby took a slice of pie for Blake. 

“What?” Ruby asked, wiping her mouth. “Do I have something on my face?” 

“No, it’s nothing.” Weiss shook her head with a small smile. “Thank you for inviting me.”

Ruby brightened and leaned down to kiss Weiss. Yang gagged as Tai gave a tired, but no less amused sigh. Blake elbowed Yang’s side with a glare, but the smile on her lips betrayed her amber eyes as they whispered to one another. 

Weiss rolled her eyes at them with a shake of her head. They were like a bunch of gossiping highschoolers, but it still brought a smile to her face. Unlike the summer before, it didn’t feel uncomfortably hot. She felt warm, she felt at home. 


	33. Immortality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Immortality  
> Writer: WinterThorns   
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterThorns

The door was flung open and a figure thrown inside. She sighed, it was always the same, every few years or whenever people felt like it had been a while since a good harvest had come in they’d bring one to her. Always kicking and screaming in the same white robes with some sort of bag or sack over their head, after all none were allowed into the deepest parts of her temple except for those chosen. It was a maze for a reason, she so hated company but sometimes these girls were entertaining enough she supposed. The way many of them quivered scared brought her some entertainment though it always ended up sickening her later on.

Nevertheless the two priestesses unceremoniously dumped this latest “sacrifice” on to the floor. She rose and nodded her head in acknowledgement, the black haired one bowed reverently back to her asn was the custom but the blonde simply glared at her silently. Speaking was forbidden while in this innermost room, it was clear the blonde had something to say and she was sure she’d hear all about it the next time she went to converse with them but for now she was simply glared at. It was one of the things she enjoyed most about the blonde. She didn’t seem to care too much, treated her more like anyone else than well anyone else. 

She grinned back her signature smug half smile before gesturing for them to leave her chambers. Almost tugging the other behind her the two head priestesses exited silently. She could hear murmuring as they walked out and away but even her excellent hearing had its limits, which she was sure were well known to them. The tragedies of being an immortal with close attendants, they were the only ones who ever had any cause to learn her limitations, and she did not like to admit having them.

She stepped down from her throne, her long white robe gilded in gold that matched the elegant and intricate crown she wore on top of her head, she glided down the steps and effort lost on the surprisingly silent girl laying at the base of them. Her throne room was a rather wide area, the throne leveled up past a short flight of stairs which sat in front of a large blue curtain behind which no living mortal had ever stepped. She tried to hide the delight on her face the giddy excitement of meeting a new subject to toy with. Seeing their reactions to meeting her were always so entertaining. Would this one be a cryer? Maybe one of those who spent their days doing naught but emptily singing her praises, those were her least favorite. Or maybe this one would be another who just sat quietly and never looked up waiting for the moment all the rest could only speculate about, the reason they were called sacrifices.

This one had already surprised her by not kicking and screaming while being brought in, she’d seemed almost serene...peaceful even, either way her opening speech was always one of her favorite parts of these experiences, she yanked the bag off the head of the woman turning around so as not to make eye contact just yet, she always loved speaking first and then seeing their faces,

“Well then welcome to this place of glory and worship. Welcome to the last place you will ever enter, I hope you have said goodbye to the sunlight, the taste of fresh air, and the feeling of wind on your skin. I am your true light, I am your fresh air and I am the wind that blows on your skin. She turned around her long white hair framing her icy blue eyes swishing slightly at her motions, “yes I am your goddess I am the reason your civilization continues to exist, breathe, and sustain!” she glanced down slightly taken aback by what she saw lying there.

A young woman couldn’t be older than 18 or 19 years old, short black hair fringed in red none of the usual signs of struggle or crying on her face or in her eyes. Bright silver stared back at her in the awe that always accompanied one of her subjects meeting her yet there was none of the usual fear, just the admiration. She couldn’t say it was what she expected to see, having grown so accustomed to the terror and shaking, seeing someone stare back at her simply in awe was, refreshing, deserved of course, but refreshing all the same. 

“You’re even more beautiful than I'd heard.” The goddess stumbled back a bit, she had been greeted many ways over her centuries, nay millenia of life, but that...that was new to her. She wasn’t sure how to respond to it. It had been hundreds of years since any woman had left her speechless. All the responses were the same. Begging for their lives, grim acceptance, pleading for some gift for their families as recompense, several of the more brash ones had demanded to be let go, shaking with fear as they did yet still holding some sort of bravery and dignity about them. This girl was different. There was a sort of naively honest aura about her, something that made her seem wise beyond her years while retaining an innocence rarely still seen in those her age. 

Her face began to show a bit of panic, in the intermittent silence she began to stutter out apologies,

“N-not that I wasn’t expecting you to be beautiful of course I was, it’s just the stories don’t do you justice. Oh uhm not that the stories are bad or anything not at all I just I-I,” The snow white goddess held up her hand to silence the girl who shut her mouth promptly bowing her head, “I’ve offended you i’m sorry,” and then a sound that had not been heard in that room for a long time let itself be known, as she laughed genuine and hearty.

“Oh no offense has been paid to me young woman, I simply have not had a sacrifice brought to me like you in quite awhile.” The girl smiled slightly blushing clearly not having expected that. “Your name,” she commanded her voice stern and icy again,

“Ruby Rose,”

“And tell me Ruby Rose,” she enjoyed the way the name sounded “how were you sent to me to volunteer? Or chosen,” 

“I was chosen ma’am, we had a lottery and I won,”

“Some might argue that you lose,”

“I can’t say I agree with that ma’am,”

“Well aren’t you oddly polite,”

“Well you are the all powerful goddess who keeps our civilization together aren’t you?”

“Yes I suppose I am,”

“Then as one of the people kept alive and safe by your benevolence shouldn’t I be polite to you?”

“Oh yes you should, but that is not always how it is seen, by your predecessors,”

“My predecessors?”

“Those who were brought to me before.”

“Ah…”

“So then are you a timely sacrifice or is there something your people are requesting of me with you?”

“Shouldn’t you know that already? Being all powerful and all?”

“All powerful and all knowing are not the same thing and while I am incredibly powerful perhaps all powerful is a slight exaggeration to my credit,” 

“Grain ma’am,”

“Ah quite a classic request,”

“Is it one you can fulfill?” She whipped around her face contorted into one of shocked anger,

“You doubt me?”

“No ma’am i’m sorry my wording was off I meant to ask if it was one you would fulfill,”

“Then you question my benevolence,”

“No ma’am I just appreciate the peace of mind before I die,”

“And what makes you think you will die so quickly,”

“Isn’t that what a sacrifice is? Someone brought to you to die so that you will bless us,”

“I never will truly understand that notion that you all have of me, that I just kill every young woman brought to me,”

“They never come back ma’am,”

“That doesn't mean I kill them as soon as they’re sent to me,”

“Do you kill them ma’am?”

“Kill seems a strong word,”

“An accurate one?”

“Oh I suppose it is,”

The red haired woman bowed her head, their conversation had carried on for a while without and interruption or slowing so this change of pace was interesting. The girl had accepted she would die and the goddess had told her it was what would happen. And it would though the sacrifice was never painful for those involved; she did require a life of her subjects, their loyalty in all things was important. What she was less than forward about was the actual necessity of the deaths. However in all her time ruling this land none that were brought before her had ever displayed the necessary devotion or actions for her to allow them to continue to live in her presence, and for once she had high hopes for this girl.

“You said you were chosen for this?”

“Yes ma’am,”

“And you consider it an honor?”

“Yes ma’am it is the highest honor we can be allowed to serve you so personally,”

“If it is such a high honor why would you not volunteer,” These questions were important. It was perhaps less than kind of her to test all those brought to her to decide whether or not they live and less kind still how difficult she made it. Yet she was a goddess and her standards were high.

“My sister ma’am I wouldn’t want to volunteer and hurt her intentionally,”

“You two are close?”

“Yes ma’am,”

“Do you regret being sent to me? Do you regret that against your own will you have been brought before me and she will be left without you?”

“Yes ma’am,”

“Impetuous brat,” the goddess huffed, “so you value your mere sister above I the one who allows you to survive on my land at my own kindness,”

“Yes ma’am and i’m sorry if it offends you but my family is important to me, I hate to have brought them the pain of losing me even if it allows the rest of us to survive. It might sound selfish, I know, but it’s how I feel and I wouldn’t dare lie to you about it.” The goddess stormed up to the girl, falling onto her knees in front of her, face of rage meeting a calm demeanor the silver covered by eyelids as the young woman prepared herself,

“No one can past the test I know but I only hope I did well enough to honor my family and save their lives,”

“Oh you stupid stupid little girl,” the goddess responded her voice softening. The ropes binding the girl fell to her sides. Utter shock on her face as she opened her eyes looking up into the softening blue staring back at her.

“The test is not impossible to pass,”

“Wh-what?” The goddess stood up turning around as Ruby began to stand up stretching out to loosen up her stiff muscles, hesitant yet trusting,

“Not once in my thousands of years has one single person been honest with me when I ask them that last question. Always when I come at them in anger even the brave who demand release will lie to my face and tell me there was nothing that could happen in the world that would make them regret dying to please me. It is exhausting,” she turned back smiling at Ruby, “not only did you talk back to me when I asked you that you spoke of the great value your family has to you. Now I cannot promise you will see them often, but you will not die and you will see them again.” Ruby began to stutter again disbelief all over her face trying to process what had just happened,

“W-w-what well then what will happen to me?”

“Oh surely it has not been forgotten what the test I give is for has it?” she smiled laughing again as Ruby’s face began to match the tint present in the fringes of her hair,

“N-no we all know what it’s for, we just didn’t think it was a test to pass so the idea of success was never considered,” 

“That just like your people giving up without ever hoping of succeeding when something becomes difficult. Now I will call my high priestesses to clean you and give you the clothing you need, we will have dinner together tonight, and then the ceremony,”

“So wait it’s true i’m going to be…”

“My wife yes you will,” the goddess said smiling “So please Ruby Rose no more ma’am’s or goddesses are required you may call me by name,” Ruby’s face seemed to be a shade of red the goddess had thought impossible, “an honor i bestow on so few, my name has great power you know and it being vien to you the way it is will give you great power as well are you prepared?”

“Yes,” Ruby was breathless at this sudden rush of events forward. Marrying the goddess herself and even learning her true name!? Not to mention that her otherworldly beauty was so much greater than could ever be spoken, and the woman herself had such charisma and personality ruby couldn’t help but fall in love immediately, but she’d still never imagined this as a possibility,

“I am the white goddess as you know me a bit lazy of a name i must say though it is accurate, however, you Ruby Rose may call me Weiss,”


	34. Godless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writer: Aiwass_Crowley  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aiwass_crowley/profile   
> A/N: Thank you so much to Pikaninja for helping me.

The sound of the festivities continued to get duller the further I got from the house. The cold wind sends shivers down my spine as I walk towards the lake. With my cape now in rags I thought this old hoodie would be enough, but this was another thing I was wrong about. The memories of our most recent battle were still fresh, and so were his words.

"Hey," A voice from behind me said

"...!!" I couldn't help to jump in surprise as I swallowed down my scream. How didn't I notice that someone was following me, and to make matters worse it was her.

"Hi Weiss, I didn't hear you coming," maintaining my composure was easier in front of other people. Weiss is the only exception; she is always the exception. Before Weiss could notice anything, I put my best smile as I turned to see her.

"I noticed that, for a moment I thought that you would run into the forest," Weiss showed 'her smile', the one that she only used with me, "So...how are your eyes?" Of course she would ask about that, sometimes she worries too much.

"They’re good as new, I'm even starting to like my new scar, it gives me this badass vibe if you know what I mean" I traced my new scar with my hands as I smiled at her. Even if I feel like she worries a lot, I wouldn't change that aspect of her.

"Stop touching it, it could get infected," She slapped my hand away from my face.. She paused as she looked at the starry sky, "So, why are you outside with Crescent Rose at night? You know there aren't any more Grimm" The concern in her voice made it harder to lie.

"You know, so many things happened today, I just wanted some time alone to think, and my baby helps me feel relaxed," Half-truths wouldn't hurt, right?

"Are you sure that you are feeling good? I don't want you to pass out for overexerting your head," Weiss' teasing tone still had the scent of alcohol.

"Haha, so funny," I tried to muster in the driest tone that I could. I should note that a minute didn’t pass before I exploded in laughter.

"So what were you thinking about?" The concern in her voice returned once more and at some point we started to walk towards the lake, "You disappeared without telling anyone. I got so worried that I sobered up," The little blush on her face told a different story.

"You know, stuff..., what will happen to us now that everything is over. The relics lost their powers so there’s no need to protect them. There aren't any Grimm anymore, so we’re out of jobs, and it isn't like we could become teachers or something like that.

"...and some of us wouldn't be able to continue to be huntresses or huntsmen even if there were some Grimm around," Weiss' voice was almost like a whisper because of how low it was. She caressed her left hand like she was trying to whisk away the pain. Her ring and little finger were missing, and in their place was a scar that ran vertically all the way past her sleeve.

"You can always return to Atlas, right? I mean they’re still in the process of reconstruction, but I'm sure that Winter and Whitley could help you," Better move the topic to one less depressing.

"I don't know, after coming this far I don't feel like using my family's name. At this point, I would rather start over, like my grandfather," Without either of us realizing it we arrived at the lake, and without exchanging words she took my hand and walked me towards a bench that was near the dock. 

"But you can always work as a bodyguard, there are a lot of villages that still need protection against bandits and the occasional wild animal," She gave a little squeeze to my hand while she avoided looking at me, "Or maybe for some young entrepreneur," Even with her hiding her face I could still see how her ears turned as red as my cape.

"Mmmm, I don't know, I'll have to meet her first, and besides, my services aren't cheap," It wasn't until a few seconds after I said that, that my face started to feel hot, "Wow that came out wrong," 

"Hahahaha" At least Weiss was a little happier now, "I'm sure you won't have to worry about that, I'm pretty sure she'll be able to pay for your 'services'," The way Weiss said the last word made me feel chills.

I liked this, I could spend the rest of my life like this, but this thought would never allow me to be truly happy, not until I was honest with her, but first I needed to know if I was right or wrong. 

Weiss noticed how my mood changed and in response, her face turned sourer.

"What's wrong, you’ve been weird ever since," Weiss said, confusion and worry — and was that fear?— clear in her voice.

"Do you know what everyone else will do now that everything is over?" I needed to know this first, I had to know the extent of my sins.

"Why? Ruby, are you ok?" I didn't want to make her worry. I didn't want her to feel like this, but I needed to know.

"Weiss please," I practically begged her.

"Ah," A little sigh escaped her as she took a more comfortable posture, "Before leaving I heard how Blake was trying to convince your sister to go and meet her parents. From what I heard, she wants to make a stop in Atlas first, to have her arm repaired," Lies, she’s scared of meeting Blake's parents, but I wouldn't blame her.

"Ren and Nora are planning on having a tour around the world before deciding what to do. They also want to accompany Jaune to tell Pyrrha that everything is over," Yeah, we lost so many friends, telling them that we won was the least we could do.

"After that Jaune will go with Oscar to Atlas, both of them will have to get a prosthesis. I'll have to remember to ask my sister to help them," 

"But what will YOU do now?" The way she stressed the 'you' meant that I couldn't avoid her, "What's wrong Ruby?"

I took my hand from her's as I stood up and walked towards the deck, Weiss following behind.

"Before I killed the God of Light, they gave me two gifts. The first one was my sight," A knot formed in my throat at the memory of their words, "Th...the... the second gift, or curse as I see it, hehe," I couldn't help but laugh because of how... unfair it was, "The second gift was a vision of what’s to come,"

"Huh? What?! Why?!" I knew she was going to ask, I knew she was going to be confused, and yet, I couldn't help but explode.

"That's what I want to know!! I don't know why they did it!!! Maybe they wanted to punish me!! Maybe it was a way to show their pity!! I don't know!!" All the emotions that I bottled up since the end of the battle came out, I was shaking all over my body, my knees could barely keep me from falling. It was frustrating, I tried to clean my tears and snot with the sleeves of my hoodie but it was too much, and the knot in my throat tightened so much that I couldn't even breathe.

"Ruby!!!" And there she was, I just screamed at her face and yet she jumped to my side as soon as I lost my composure, "Ruby! Ruby! breathe with me, 1...2...1.." Weiss breathed with me as she tried to calm me down.

This continued for a few more minutes as I regained my composure once again. At some point she hugged me from behind.

"Thank you, and sorry for screaming at you," I was thankful for the fact that Weiss was hugging me from behind, that way she wouldn't be able to see my face.

"It's ok, don't worry about that," She nuzzled her chin on my neck as she whispered to me, "Just try to calm down first,"

We spent a few minutes in silence just staring at the reflection of the stars in the lake, neither of us said anything. I want to believe that it was because it wasn't necessary.

"I saw the future, there weren't any more Grimm, but that didn't mean that there was peace. At some point both humans and Faunus lose their Aura, and after that, all the Dust in the world would stop working. Without Auras nor Dust, everyone around the world started to enter into panic," The knot in my throat returned but I decided to continue. If it wasn’t for the fact that I could feel how she held her breath from time to time, I would have thought that she was asleep.

"Without Dust, all forms of technologies stopped working, hospitals, ships, Penny. Soon kingdoms started to wage wars on one another, and one day, we’ll be gone," It was terrifying, knowing that humanity had its days numbered, and all because of some girl.

... ... ...

"Maybe it was just a trick, something to mess with you," Weiss finally said after spending a few minutes in silence.

"That was the first thing I thought, but during the party, I accidentally cut myself. I tried to heal with my Aura but it was taking more effort than it should. I can feel it, how I'm starting to lost my connection with my semblance, maybe that's why your hand isn't healing," At the mention of her hand Weiss clutched her left hand in a fist, "Sorry,"

"No, no, it's ok, but isn't it too fast? I mean, from how you explained to me it seemed that it was going to be a long process," Weiss tried to sound composed, but I could feel her heart beating erratically against my back.

"Maybe that's our punishment. After all, we killed the Gods. I don't think we can get away free of punishment," I let myself slide free from her hug to rest my head on her lap. Weiss, who didn't expect that, adopted the biggest blush I have ever seen on her.

"You mean besides condemning all the human race," Weiss' dry tone made me chuckle because of the contrast with her blushing face.

"I feel like I should do something while I still can, try to find a way to avoid the future that I saw," 

"You don't have to carry all the weight, you’ve done so much already," Weiss caressed by check while she said this.

"No, I have to. I was the one who caused all this, even if it is meaningless, even if I won't change anything, even if everyone hates me for causing this, I want to continue to help everyone, even if no one would thank me," Even if it meant that I would die as a nobody.

"It seems that I won't be able to change your mind right?" Weiss' smile was probably the most beautiful I have seen since I met her, but it was also the saddest.

"Nope," I stood up from her lap and settled in front of her, "Sorry but I already made my mind," And know that I told her I could leave with a little bit of peace, knowing that at least she would know why I disappeared.

"In that case, it seems I have no other option but to follow you," 

"What!? No, no, no, no, you can't accompany me, this is something that I have to do alone," This is my punishment, only I have to do this, "You don't have to fight anymore. You can do anything you want with your life. You can-" Before I could continue, Weiss stopped me by putting her hand over my mouth.

"Shh, you dolt," She took her hand from my mouth and rested her forehead against mine, "You don't get it, do you? Why would you think that I would let you be alone after all this time?"

"Even if everything was meaningless?" I could feel how my tears started to build. 

"It won't be meaningless,"

"You won't leave me right?" If this is a dream, I fear that my heart will break.

"I feel offended by the question," Her lips were now grazing against mine, "I swear to never leave you alone, even if everyone blames you for what happened I will always be by your side,"

"And I swear to never let you down, to always be worthy of you," Neither of us could hold the tears anymore, "I swear in this godless world to always laugh with you and to cry by your side." 

"Even if I were to die, I swear by my soul, to always wait for you," 

Even now the guilt of condemning everyone still weighed heavy on me. In my selfishness, I killed the Gods of Remnant to unshackle us from their whims, but in the end, I may have just pushed us to the extinction. But just for this moment, I was the happiest girl in the world.

And as if we were magnets, our lips touched, at first shyly, but soon it turned passionate.

"Weiss, I love you,"

"I love you too Ruby."


	35. Vision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writer: Matchappreciated  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matchappreciated  
> A/N: Lines of dialogue: 1

The first time Weiss saw one of the visions was on her tenth birthday. Her parents had just finished yelling at each other and had stomped away, ignoring the Schnee children left at the diner table. After that, Whitley ran off to play, not understanding what happened, and Winter went to study leaving Weiss more alone than she had felt before.

She ran to her room and slammed the door behind her. Throwing herself on the bed, she let out the sobs that had been building the whole evening. No matter what she did the tears wouldn’t stop.

It wasn’t long before she was compelled to lift her head and look at the mirror hanging by her bed. Expecting the darkened reflection of her room and her tear stained face, she was instead met with a slightly glowing surface. The surprise was enough to stop the tears from falling and the only sounds were the small hiccups left over from her cries. Wiping her cheeks with her sleeves, she focused on the mirror.

Weiss should have been afraid but for some reason she wasn’t.

The smoky glow began to clear and she could make out the outline of a person. When everything came into focus, she first thought the figure was her mother but quickly dismissed that thought. While she was wearing white and had blue eyes, the girl was younger, had her long white hair tied back off to the side, and she had a scar over her left eye. Weiss covered her own eye as though making sure a scar hadn’t suddenly appeared on her own face, mirrors were supposed to reflect after all.

The white figure wasn’t looking at Weiss, but was instead hunched over crying just as hard as she was a minute ago. Weiss thought she looked so sad. She reached out to…what? Comfort the crying girl maybe? Whatever her reason, Weiss only touched smooth glass.

And yet, at that moment the person looked up. Her gaze wasn’t on Weiss, but was looking over Weiss’ shoulder. Turning around, she only saw her still empty room. She looked back at the mirror and saw another figure appear, this one with short black and red hair and a red cloak covering her back. She couldn’t see her face since she was talking to the white-haired girl.

They didn’t talk long. Weiss wished she could hear what the red girl said because immediately after talking, she was wrapping her arms around the other. Thinking that the white girl would pull away, Weiss was surprised when her arms crept up and around, and then tucked herself further into the hug. The sobbing must have started back up again because the white clad shoulders started shaking.

Weiss felt a kind of…calm or comfort from the scene and the newcomer. Despite this, she was still just as alone as she was before. The mirror slowly dimmed as her own reflection stared back at her. She wanted someone who would comfort her when she cried. She wanted someone who would make everything seem ok when she was sad. She wanted what that white-haired girl had, something other than utter loneliness.

* * *

After that first time, the visions appeared when she was feeling strongly about something. The second time happened a couple years later. Winter was leaving for Atlas Academy that day and Weiss wanted to spend as much time with her as she could. When her father found out she was planning on skipping her lessons, he became angry. He had the tutors give her twice as much work and had Winter leave that morning.

Weiss was furious. She was pacing back and forth in her room when the mirror started to glow. It took some time before she noticed it and when she did, the figures were already in focus. When she finally saw them, she had to blink a few times. She had thought the previous experience was just her imagination and wishing for some comfort in her sadness.

While last time Red was comforting White - that’s what she named them - this time, the two of them seemed to be fighting about something. Weiss still couldn’t hear anything from the mirror but based on their faces and arm flailing, the argument was not a calm one. It reminded her of the fights her mother and father would have when they still talked to each other.

Weiss couldn’t tell what the two were fighting about or who started it. Both Red and White were yelling and sometimes the other would flinch or wipe a tear away. She couldn’t handle watching the two people who were so soft with each other last time, deliberately hurt each. She was about to turn away when they both calmed a bit and just looked sad. After staring at each other for what seemed like hours, they both took a small step forward and reached for the other’s hand. Before the two girls could touch, the image slowly dissolved leaving Weiss to once again stare at her reflection.

While she was glad the two girls could come together after such anger, she doubted her father would agree to such tactics as holding hands. Someday Weiss might have someone that understood her enough to let her yell and to yell back then quickly let her know she was still cared for, but right now, she was stuck with her father and the Schnee way of doing things.

* * *

The next time was less than a year later. Winter was coming home from Atlas and Weiss hadn’t seen her since she left. She was giddy all day and Father had even allowed her a few days off because of the occasion. She was sitting at her vanity mirror making sure everything was perfect. Her makeup hadn’t rubbed off, her hair was pulled straight back, the collar of her dress was folded correctly. She was just so happy to be reuniting with her sister.

When the glow appeared, Weiss became even more excited, yet felt a tiny bit of trepidation due to the last vision. She shouldn’t have worried. Once the smoke cleared and the image formed, she saw White drop a sword before turning and jumping up to hug a tall blonde girl with purple eyes. The relief and joy on Weiss’ face was bright enough that even a robot could understand what she was feeling.

Gold, as Weiss quickly named her, looked surprised for a long moment but didn’t push White away. Eventually she returned the hug, if more gentler than the other girl, and cradled the back of White’s head. They closed their eyes and relaxed into one another, holding on like they never wanted to let go.

Weiss was glad this vision was happy, but was a bit disappointed that Red was gone. She didn’t want Red and White to be separated after that fight, she wanted to know that people could move past arguments like that. So, when the White and Gold duo changed into a different scene instead of disappearing, she was hopeful.

The first thing she saw was White looking so lonely. Her head was pointed down and she seemed smaller than normal, unsure. Red and Gold came into view then and were linked together, shoulder to shoulder. Both of them had their other arms wide open, offering White a warm embrace.

The pain on White’s face dropped immediately and was replaced once again by sheer joy. She flew into their arms. The three of them held tightly to one another and radiated a sense of comfort and relief that Weiss herself had not felt in a long time.

Happy with the conclusion and the discovery that Red had not disappeared, Weiss was about to leave when the scene changed one more time. This time it was White who had one arm around Red while the other was open for a fourth, black-haired girl. Within seconds White was enfolded in a group hug consisting of herself, Red, Gold, and the newly arrived Black. But Weiss didn’t feel any uncertainty in the embrace. The four of them seemed to be at peace, as though they had finally made it home after a long time.

Weiss didn’t really understand why these scenes were shown to her. She didn’t know who these people were or if they were real. Didn’t know what they meant to each other. She didn’t really  _ want _ to understand either. This was one of the few things in her life that she would just let be. And if they continued to be hopeful, she would even look forward to the visions.

* * *

Weiss was fifteen when the next scene appeared in her mirror. She had managed to secret a certain type of romance book into her room and had stayed up half the night reading it. When she finally closed it and turned the lamp off, her cheeks were still burning and her mind was spinning with everything she had read and learned. Sure, the more…steamy parts were interesting, but what she kept coming back to was the love and care the two people had for each other.

Round and round her thoughts went. She reached over to turn the light off when she realized it was already so and that the shine was coming from her mirror. Weiss jumped out of bed, eager to see the newest vision.

Weiss’ previous blush instantly returned as Red and White appeared in the glass. The two were caught in an embrace, kissing each other softly but with a passion Weiss had never seen, only read about. As the kisses became more heated, Weiss squirmed and tried not to watch too closely; the moment was a private one between the two.

But as Red moved her way down White’s neck, placing gentle kisses and suction, Weiss lost her fight to look and fixed on White’s face. The pure relaxation and bliss on her face was too much to prevent Weiss’ thoughts from returning to her previous thoughts on love. And how physicality may be a part of it, but the way people cherish one another is what should really matter. In this case, Red and White appeared to have both ideals perfected.

When hands started moving and clothes were coming off, Weiss jumped into bed and threw the covers over her head. As she lay there forcing herself not to peek, she thought about what love meant for her. Would she have someone like that one day? Or would she be trapped like her parents? No, she decided. She  _ would _ find someone to hold her and fight with her. She  _ would  _ find someone to treasure and to have treasure her. She  _ would _ have someone she could kiss and touch and-

Yes, she would find her own Red one day.

* * *

The last time Weiss saw a vision in the mirror was the day she left for Beacon. She was the most excited she had ever been, even more so than when Winter came to visit or those rare occasions when her family acted like family.

While proving to her father that she should go to the academy, she received a deep cut over her left eye. At first she was upset at such a wound, worried at how it would look and how it would be seen as a flaw or weakness. But as she stared at herself in the mirror, she finally, _ finally  _ realized that the white figure she’s seen in the visions were herself. That it was her who had broken down in Red’s arms and had later hurt her with her words. It was Weiss that had found a home in the arms of three girls and Weiss who had found a love so strong her stomach still got butterflies when she thought about it.

Now here she was, standing in front of the mirror, white-hair tied up and to the side, blue eyes unwavering, scar running over her left eye. She still wasn’t sure if those visions were of the future or her imagining, but she did know that she would do her best to make them come true.

A glow came from the smooth glass one last time and Weiss watched in anticipation as White stood in a patch of flowers. She was dressed in the most beautiful white dress. The top part fit her perfectly and the bottom was made up of layer upon layer of sheer fabric and flared out like a dress from a princess tale. Her hair was hanging loose but had red roses braided throughout.

As Weiss watched, the white figure slowly made her way towards Red who was just as beautiful and equally stunning in her own dress and wore a white-rose crown on her head.

In the background Weiss saw Gold and Black, appropriately dressed up, alongside many more people Weiss had never seen. White and Red stopped in front of each other and they both had the widest, happiest, most cheesiest smiles on their faces.

Before Weiss could watch anymore, the vision slowly disappeared, leaving her to grin at herself. Absorbing everything she had seen, her lips spread even wider at what it meant. She turned to leave but checked her reflection one last time. Finding everything as it should be, she nodded to herself in approval.

“Ready.”


	36. Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Heart  
> Author: gaymerkree  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree

There’s something profound about metaphorically having someone’s heart. That someone could be so devoted to you that they would feel safe enough to  _ metaphorically  _ put their life force in your hands. There were enough stories out there about princesses and knights, kings and queens, who would give away all their glory for another person.  _ Rubbish _ . 

There wasn’t a person who walked Remnant who deserved another person's heart, metaphorically, or otherwise. Humans were disappointing, and faunus? Well they had the same faults. Weiss Schnee, Queen of Atlas, refused to allow such weakness into her life. 

Growing up under the rule of her mother, Willow, she learned quickly how dangerous  _ love _ could be. She watched the wretch she once called a father destroy her mother’s heart and make her unfit to rule. The only family she could depend on, her older sister Winter, ran off with a noble from the kingdom of Mantle, corresponding only by letter. Love had destroyed her family, bit by bit, so it was of little surprise the lengths she’d take to avoid the worthless emotion. 

It normally took six years to perfect the magic needed to accomplish the Queen’s goals. Weiss completed the training in three, then attempted, and succeeded in the process within the next year. On her eighteenth birthday, before her coronation, she prepares the magic needed, and begins the spell she’s worked so hard on. Her magic shutters through the open room, shimmering off the stone walls and across her skin. With practiced ease she presses her fingers into her chest, past her rib cage, between her lungs, and effortlessly plucks the frantically beating organ from her body. 

The act itself was exhausting, sending the silver haired woman stumbling to her knees, and gasping for breath. There’s a sturdy knock at her door, and she’s unable to speak quick enough to stop the intruder. Entering her room in dress armor, tinted glasses, and a perpetually bored expression was her personal knight Coco Adel. The noble frowns, taking a look around the elaborate spell set-up, and to the heart in Weiss’ hand.

“What have you done to yourself Weiss?” Coco’s voice is nearly emotionless, guarding her worry with indifference, but Weiss has known her long enough to see the subtle twitch in her brow giving away her concern.

“Aren’t you supposed to call me ‘Your Highness’ or something now?” Despite her exhaustion, she allows herself to be lifted by the taller woman, and leans against the cool silvery white of her armor. 

“Sorry  _ princess _ , till you slide on that shiny new crown, you’re still plain ole Weiss to me.” She smirks, eyes sparkling through her darkened glasses. “Now what  _ have  _ you done to yourself?”

“I made sure I never have to go through what my mother went through.”  _ Love _ . The world settles on the tip of her tongue but she refuses to voice it, Coco knows anyway.

The brunette groans, running a hand through her short hair. “Weiss I don’t think-” There’s another rough sigh as she gestures to the heart in Weiss’ hand, “-that is going to stop you from falling in love with someone.”

Weiss swats her friend away, opening a metal chest nearby and lightly placing the heart within it, before handing the chest to Coco. “You’re the only person I can trust with this.”

“Weiss, you can’t be serious. Think about what you're doing.”

“ _ I am _ . It’s what’s best Coco.  _ Please  _ just trust me.” She can still feel a phantom beat of the organ in her chest, calling back to her. She doesn’t listen. 

* * *

In the next three years Weiss is proven correct. She neither falls in love, or gets her heart broken. She’s the best leader the kingdom of Atlas has ever had, and through the whole ordeal Coco watches from the side. However things change halfway through her fourth year as queen. 

In her second year, Weiss ended the war with Vale, a nearby kingdom to the south of Remnant. She pulled her knights from the fight, and drafted a peace treaty, returning the lands taken by Atlas during her father’s rule. In the time between Weiss visited with the king and his two daughters, and became close. When King TaiYang stepped down from his throne to allow his eldest daughter to take his place, his youngest daughter, Ruby Rose, made the trek to Atlas to become a knight. Coco takes her as a squire, and the former princess excels in her duties, quickly becoming Weiss’ retainer beside Coco. 

At the end of her third year in rule Ruby leaves on a trip. She’s gone nearly six months, but returns in the first few months of year four. She’s grown, now nearly a head taller than her queen, with a confident smile and broad shoulders. Weiss feels something inside her sturr, vacant and cold, it makes her wince and shiver. Coco’s the first to notice. 

Vigilant and loyal, Ruby takes up her tasks again immediately after arriving  _ home _ . She pauses only to scoop Weiss into a heavy armed hug, making the queen squeak, and flush. 

“I missed you my queen!” She coos, snuggling close, far too close for the ice that’s growing in her chest. 

“Ruby!” Pushing herself away she stutters flushing deeply. “This isn’t how you address your queen!”

With a dopey grin, the knight releases Weiss, letting the queen hold herself upright on a strong bicep. “Sorry, your majesty, I just missed you is all.” Her Valian accent is thicker than normal, something Weiss had forgotten about. Ruby’s time in Atlas had diminished the accent from its original thickness, but several months in Vale had brought it back full force. “Did’ja miss me?” 

Weiss feels herself flush again, resisting another flinch at the cool pain building in her chest. “Of course you dolt. I’m much too important to walk the grounds with only one retainer.”

Beside them Coco laughs, smooth and hardy, slapping a hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “ _ I _ sure missed you Red.” Belatedly, Weiss realizes Ruby’s now Coco’s height, with the same penchant for charming smiles and flirty winks.  _ This is going to be a long week _ .

* * *

There's a garden along the eastern wall of the castle that Weiss spends her free time in. Her heavily stocked library is only a short walk from there, so she brings a book and some tea to keep her company. It’s normally a peaceful quiet she spends alone, that is, till Ruby discovers the not so hidden hiding place. 

It’s a soft spring day, and Weiss is a third of her way into a book about knights and monsters when she hears the soft whistle of the redhead knight. “This is a beautiful garden my lady.” Ruby’s voice is soft, like a song played from a distance. Something with strings and percussions that you can feel in your chest. 

The queen gives the knight a gentle nod and returns to her book, fully expecting the younger woman to interrupt her again, but wordlessly the knight settles herself on the ground nearby and begins inspection of her weapon. After that she stands and gathers a few vines and flowers that had fallen to the ground and begins constructing something with them. 

Time passes and the sun begins its descent past the horizon, and Weiss settles her book down. Ruby hadn't moved or made much noise in the last few hours, and Weiss would have been concerned had the knight not remained in her sight at all times. It had been nice,  _ pleasant _ even, to spend the time with someone else without the pressure of conversation. Ruby had simply enjoyed the garden in her own way, near Weiss. 

“Ruby. Would you care to walk me to my chambers?” The request was a formality, as her retainer, Ruby was required to do so, but gave the queen the freedom she needed when she needed it. 

Stretching lazily, Ruby stands and bustles over to the queen. She’s got a wide grin across her face, and the look sends a cold spike through Weiss’ chest. “I made you something my lady!” Before she can answer Ruby’s placed a delicate flower crown atop her head. It’s weaved together with daisies, and white roses, masterfully crafted. Weiss’ breath catches in her chest, cold and restricting, and she feels something prick at the backs of her eyes. Ruby’s smile soothes the ache there, content to see the work she’d spent so long go to good use. “You’re  _ beautiful _ .”

Ice shoots through her veins, solid and constricting, she waivers in her step, stumbling into Ruby. The knight catches her, sturdy and protective, she opens her mouth to speak but Weiss holds a hand to silence her.

“It’s lovely Ruby, thank you. Could you walk me to my chamber? I’m not feeling well.” Concern wrinkles the knight’s brow, but Ruby nods, pulling her queen close before leading the way to the queen’s private chambers. 

When Weiss is alone she removes the crown, it nearly brings a tear to her eye how beautiful it is. She hangs it on a shelf to dry, and keeps it with her most precious possessions.

Ruby spends her spare time in the garden after that, always beside Weiss, a confident and sure protector. 

* * *

Weiss gets six months of peace before Coco confronts her. It’s nearing the end of her fourth year, and her birthday is four days away when a knock pulls her away from her recent tax adjustments. Her visitor doesn’t wait to be invited in, simply pushes through the door covering her eyes.

“Everyone decent in here?” When Weiss huffs she lowers her hand and sends the queen a lazy grin. “What? You could have someone in here I don’t know about.”

The queen rolls her eyes, and moves her current piece of parchment over after leaving a flourished signature at the bottom. “You’re far too protective of me for that to be true.” 

Coco’s eyes twinkle behind her usual dark glasses as she leans against the wall beside Weiss’ desk. “How about someone I know then? Could be  _ any  _ of the guards, they all like you, but you don’t really like them huh?” Another exasperated sigh leaves the queen’s lips. “Cooks? Too messy. Maybe one of the butlers? Maids? It could even be Ruby. I haven’t seen-”

“Do you have a reason to be here?” The question is punctuated with the slam of her hands on the firm wood of her desk, and she can almost hear the gears turning in Coco’s head. “I’m very busy. What can I help you with?”

“Weiss-” The brunette sighs, turning away from steel blue. The moon outside flickers behind clouds, a confident wind flutters through the window and across Weiss’ desk. “We're friends right? You care about me like I care about you?”

“Is this going somewhere?” She’s standing now, her royal garb already removed, her nightgown flutters in the wind. “It’s late Coco.”

“You think we don’t notice, but we do.” There’s something hard in the usually calm knight’s tone. “I can see you flinch in pain, it’s your heart isn’t it?”

With a scoff Weiss turns away, moving across the room to light the candles by her bed. “My heart is in the safest place it could be-”

“Weiss.” The rough tone of Coco’s voice makes Weiss flinch. “You’re falling in love, aren’t you?”

The question sends a spike of cold through her chest, something growing and  _ alive _ . Instinctively Weiss reaches for her chest, to guard it from more pain, but it does nothing to soothe the ache there. She can still feel the phantom beat through her chest, the pumping of old blood to keep her alive. “That’s preposterous.” Sweat beads at the back of her neck, her body feels like it’s on fire, but her chest is so cold. “The spell-”

“Removed your heart, not your emotions.” They’re at a stalemate, neither woman willing to back down. Weiss holds the edge of her bedside table like it’s a life line. 

The wood digs into the soft skin of her palms as her hands shake. “That shouldn’t be-”

“Do you have another explanation for this?” Coco gestures with one hand to Weiss, hunched over and in distress. “I see the way you look at her Weiss. The way your eyes linger, and how you reach out to touch her.” Coco’s voice is a soft whisper, concern coating each word. “Just let yourself love her Weiss.”

The monarch begins to shake. Tears well in her eyes and the dagger of ice in her chest grows like a weed, fracturing out towards her lungs and ribs. She releases a pained gasp, falling to her knees. “I-I can’t.”

Strong arms loop around her waist, and Weiss finds herself being escorted through the hallway, and towards Coco’s room. “You can, and I think you have to.” 

Time flickers, and when Weiss opens her eyes again she’s seated on Coco’s bed while the taller woman digs through a chest in the corner. She hums in approval before walking back towards Weiss with the chest the queen had given her on her coronation day. The magic within the chest pulses, reminding Weiss of what she’s done. Everything seems to slow, like the blood in her veins stops, halting her own movements. 

“Please Weiss. You haven’t looked well lately, just trust someone besides me.” The brunette is on her knees, the plea desperate on her tongue. 

Weiss feels like she nods and reaches her hands out, but she doesn’t move. Her limbs are stiff and cold, and she feels her body impact something warm and soft. Blue eyes flicker open and she can see Coco’s concerned face, “What-?”

“Don’t speak your highness.” It’s Ruby’s voice, and all at once Weiss feels colder than she’s ever been, but so warm. “What’s going on Coco?”

“Weiss put a curse on herself before she became queen.”

“S’not a curse.” The queen slurs, sluggish against Ruby’s heat. 

“To prevent herself from falling in love.” 

Ruby nods roughly, looking from the chest in Coco’s hands back to her queen. “How do we fix it?” 

“Heart.” Weiss mumbles, reaching for the chest. 

With practiced ease, Coco opens the chest, and the heat that floods the room is physical, and Weiss feels the strength of her magic at the tips of her fingers. Coco reaches into the box, but hisses in pain as her fingers graze the heart itself. Weiss’ body lurches in pain, letting out a startled gasp, and Ruby tightens her hold on the shaking queen. 

Confidence reflects in steely silver as Ruby reaches into the chest herself. There’s no stinging pain or visceral reaction, but she moves slowly to avoid injuring her queen further. Heart fully in her hand she looks down at the queen’s chest. 

“What are you waiting for, Red? Put it in.” The knight swallows audibly, gesturing with her occupied hand towards Weiss’ chest. 

“I don't wanna-” Coco’s response is an exaggerated sigh as she quickly unbuttoning the top buttons of Weiss’ nightgown. 

“Our queen’s life is more important than her modesty.” Gruffly Ruby nods, pressing the heart against the skin of Weiss’s exposed chest. 

The room fills with a bright light, and Weiss feels like she can breath again for the first time in years. Deep breaths fill her chest with warmth, pushing away the deep cold that had settled there. When the light fades all she can see is Ruby, tall and sturdy, with one arm holding Weiss close to her chest, and the other pressed against her steady heartbeat. Her relieved smile sends Weiss’ heart beating faster than the monarch remembers ever feeling before, and she feels heat rush to her cheeks. 

It takes all of one minute of their awkward silence for Coco to stand, “I’m going to get the queen some water. If you two can straighten things out, and get out of my room by then, that would be great.”

“How are you feeling, my lady?” The subtle endearment makes Weiss’ heart stutter, and she’s starting to believe that the spell  _ had _ worked, and Ruby Rose was just too powerful. 

“Fine! I’m fine!” Her voice comes out higher pitched, cautious and uncertain. 

“My Lady? What just happened?” They’re still so close, with Ruby’s sturdy hands press against Weiss, breathing is easier and harder than ever before.

“On my coronation day I cast a spell on my heart to stop myself from ever feeling love.” The statement is plain and clinical, something Weiss has rehearsed to herself and Coco over the years. 

“But it didn’t work.” Not a question, a statement.

“What do you mean? It did work.” She desperately wants to leave the knights arms, hide herself, because it _did_ _work_ , just not as well as she’d hoped. 

With a laugh, Ruby adjusts her hands, tugging the flushed queen closer. “There’s not a ruler in the kingdoms that loves their people more than you do, my queen.” Weiss can feel the heat in her chest threaten to consume her, and she wants to bury herself in Ruby’s arms. “You love Coco, do you not?” The words are stiff, but Weiss catches the meaning.

“Oh! Ruby-I-  _ No _ .” She can’t help but laugh, Coco was her dearest friend! Maybe one time, long ago, but- “Coco and I have only ever been friends.” 

With that Ruby seems to relax, still holding tight to her queen, “But you love her though?”

“ _ Yes _ , I do.”

An easy smile flutters across Ruby’s face, “And what of me, my lady?” The question is soft, spoken cautiously into the shrinking space between them. “What do you think of me, Weiss?”

Weiss feels like she’s on fire, and her hands don’t know where to go, fisted in Ruby’s cloak. She wants to respond, to say that she  _ likes _ Ruby, but she can’t stop looking at the knights lips. “Ruby-” She’s cut off by the warmest lips she’s sure have ever existed. Her body is on fire, like the most pleasant heat she’s ever felt. She melts into the knight’s arms, pressing herself as close to Ruby as she can get. Ruby’s arms tighten around her waist and the queen has never felt so  _ safe _ . She sighs into the kiss, tugging at the knight’s cloak to get closer. 

There’s a rough sound of someone clearing their throat and the two women break apart, breathing heavy and labored. “Here’s some water for our  _ thirsty _ queen. Red, will you escort her to her quarters?”

There’s a thump as Ruby salutes, curling her left hand into a fist and thumping it into her right shoulder. She stands quickly, scooping Weiss fully into her arms and dashing out of Coco’s room, and down the hall. The water is left forgotten, and Weiss laughs as they speed down the hallway.

“What next,  _ my  _ valiant knight?”

“More of  _ that _ , hopefully,  _ my  _ queen!”


	37. (i don't wanna end it when) we're only just beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Atlas  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: this is a continuation of the other story I wrote (prompt: husband), but works as a stand-alone story. Pls enjoy

It was five more minutes.

Five more minutes before another round of cabs would roll around to escort Weiss back to her Atlas home. After a business trip from Mistral, she could use some time off. In fact, she deserves it.

Her scroll buzzed and she dropped her attention off the pavement to fish it out. Once out of her handbag, she checked the caller ID. It was Winter.

Weiss pushed her glasses up her nose and answered her sister, resuming to look out for a potential ride. “Hello?”

“Weiss,” her older sister greeted, “how was your trip to Mistral?”

“It was…,” she thinks back at her week filled with conference after conference and networking event after networking event, “productive.” 

“That’s wonderful,” Winter replies. “Would you be joining me this evening for the Military Ball downtown?”

_ Crap. _ Weiss curses to herself. The Ball tonight completely slipped her mind. “I have…,” she tries to make an excuse for herself, “other plans.” Weiss's conferences or business trips would often coincide with the night of the Ball, that, or she would work overtime. Simply put, Weiss was somewhat asocial. She often puts work before play.

“Oh,” her sister sighs, “that’s unfortunate.” Winter doesn’t say anything for a while. Weiss could sense the disappointment her sister must feel for her. “Well,” she continues, “if you change your mind, please let me know. I would love to spend more time with you, sister.”

Weiss smiles at her reassurance. “Of course. You too, Winter.” Her sister terminates the call.

Her scroll lingers on her ear as she continues to be disappointed in the lack of cabs in the area. On her left, she notices a charter bus pull in, belonging to the Atlas Military. Beyond the branding, the vehicle is painted white with blue accents. A group of military personnel board the bus in an orderly fashion. Her eyes shouldn't be wandering off. Weiss had to keep focus.

As luck would have it, someone slams right into her, hard. Thankfully, her suitcase cushioned her fall, and no bones seemed to be broken. But she was still aggravated. “Ow, watch where you’re—” she notices the figure who ran into her is wearing Atlas Military attire “—going.” The stranger groans and looks at Weiss. They lock eyes and she notices the most beautiful pair of silver. “You’re… part of the Atlas Military.”

"And if I wasn't?" The stranger asks sarcastically. Weiss imagined a scenario where she would be lashing her tongue at them. They manage to stand up and offer Weiss a hand. Without showing, she eagerly accepts it and stands back on her feet. "Oh," the stranger spots something on the ground, "you dropped this." They hold out Weiss's scroll and she retrieves it.

"Thank you," Weiss says.

"I'm sorry for running into you," they apologize, rubbing the back of their neck.

"No, don't be," Weiss refutes. "It was entirely my fault," she explains, "I wasn't looking."

The stranger holds their hand behind their head, and Weiss notices their arm muscles flexing. She could spend the rest of the afternoon admiring their physique.

"Well," the stranger cuts in their awkward silence, "it was nice meeting you, Miss." 

They start to head for the bus, but Weiss grabs their wrist. "Wait," she cries. They look back at her. "The Ball." She blurts out without context. "The Military Ball." 

They looked at her like she lost her marbles, in her defense, she probably has, but they slowly catch Weiss's drift. It's written in their eyes. "Oh. What about the Ball?" They ask.

“I noticed you were in the military; I assume you would be in attendance tonight.”

“I am,” they cross their arms. More of their arm muscles become prominent. “Will you… be there?”

Weiss stands straight. “Yes,” she answers. “Captain Schnee is my sister. She was the one who invited me.”

“Cool,” they respond with genuine interest. “I know  _ of _ her; never met her in person. My… rank isn’t all that impressive.”

“Nonsense,” Weiss scoffs. “I’m sure you do a lot for Atlas.” She sends them a reassuring smile.

“Thanks,” they blush. “Thanks, uhh… Schnee.”

Weiss reaches out to shake their hand. “Weiss.”

“Hey, Rose,” the bus’s horn honks, “come on, let’s go!” Yells a soldier on the bus.

They cup their hands over their mouth, “Give me five minutes!” Weiss looks over her shoulder and sees the military personnel give a thumbs-up. “Sorry about that.”

“All is forgiven… Rose.” They grin, saying nothing more.

“So…,” Rose drags, “where were you coming from?” They ask. Weiss remembered they were at the Atlas airship hangar.

“Mistral,” she answers. “And you? I didn’t expect to see the Atlas Military anywhere else but Atlas.”

They chuckle. “That’s because I was stationed at Argus.” Rose pulls a crooked smile.

“Oh, Argus isn’t too far from Mistral,” she commented. “Maybe we crossed paths—shared the same flight even.”

“No,” they say, sounding slightly disappointed. “I doubt that. I would’ve remembered someone as beautiful as you on my—” they froze mid-sentence. “Wait,” they blush. Weiss giggles bubbly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I retract what I said.” 

Weiss pushes her glasses up, attempting to hide her blush. “That’s a shame.” Her stomach does flips. “I wished you didn’t.” Rose sends her a warm smile.

There was something about Rose that attracted Weiss. They’re tall. They have a nice laugh. They have nice hair. Their attractiveness is beyond physical appearance. She couldn't quite put a finger on it.

“So, where are you heading?”

Weiss sighs. “Back home. I need to get ready for tonight.” She groans, “That is… if I can get a ride….” 

Rose scans the empty lanes in front of them. “Tough luck, huh?”

Weiss deeply sighs. “I’ve been waiting for nearly ten minutes now.”

“Well, maybe you can hitch a ride with us?” Rose offers. “There’s plenty of space on the bus. And when we get to the base, I can drop you off. I have a car.” They say rather excitedly.

Being as opportunistic as she is, Weiss would have taken the plunge, and jumped at the chance to get to know this amazingly charming person. But, alas, there was something in the pit of her stomach saying otherwise—to take a breather. “That’s really sweet of you, Rose.” Weiss let them down gently. “But we just met; I’m not going to take advantage of you.” 

Their silver eyes become crestfallen. “Oh.” Rose’s shoulder slump sadly. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

The sound of tires on the pavement draws her attention. Weiss sees a standard vehicle approaching the loading zone. The tension in her shoulders released. “Ugh, finally,” she tugs her handbag closer and reaches down for her suitcase. 

But before she could grab it, Rose had it in their hands. “Don’t worry, I got it.”

“Rose, you don’t have to—”

“No, please, I insist.” She watches them swing the suitcase in the trunk of the cab. 

Once that was done, they opened the door for her. “Thank you,” Weiss says, getting in the back of the car.

“Where to, Miss?”

“5th and South.”

Rose closes the door before asking, “Will I ever see you again?”

Weiss buckles her seatbelt and answers, “Tonight,” she promises. Weiss rolls the window up and has her eyes glued on Rose. Looking back, she sees them head for the bus, peeking over their shoulder a couple of times at Weiss. The farther away she was, the more she thought about them. She covers her faces and giggles like a schoolgirl. Her goofy smile is stuck on her face permanently. 

She takes out her scroll again and dials Winter.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Winter. It’s Weiss. About tonight….”

* * *

The Ball was in full swing when she arrived. It was a sea full of Atlas Military personnel all dressed in their formal uniforms. But there was only one person Weiss had in mind.

Rose has been swirling around her head on repeat—on her way home, getting ready for tonight, and on her way here. It sounds childish, but Weiss may have fallen head over heels for Rose. For the five minutes they shared, they really hit it off, connecting like nothing she had ever felt before.

Weiss stood out like a sore thumb—being one of the few civilians in attendance—that, and the fact that she was wearing a glamorous new dress. It was sure to be an eye-catcher, but there was only one pair in particular that interested her. 

“Weiss!” A familiar voice cried out her name. She swiftly turns around and expects to see Rose looking like an irresistible dashing prince, but is met with Winter instead.

“Winter,” she greets, trying to mask her disappointment. Her sister opens her arms out for a welcoming embrace. “It’s so nice to see you.” It has been ages since the two met in-person. 

Her sister pulls away from their touch. “It’s nice to see you as well. Come,” she pulls Weiss through the crowd, “there’s someone here I would like you to meet.” She looks around the room, trying to distinguish Rose’s facial features against the rest of the Atlas Military to no avail. The chances of seeing Rose again were slim. Weiss sighs to herself, pulling a fake smile for whoever Winter wanted to introduce. “This is Sergeant Ruby Rose.” Her fake smile turned into a candid one as she is met with the face of her admirations. Weiss notices a dreamy look on their face. “They’re in charge of our Argus Base,” Winter continues. “It’s small, but they do an excellent job managing it.” Ruby nods at Winter’s words. Weiss almost missed it because she was practically drooling at how handsome they looked. “The Military Ball is the only event our Argus personnel can attend because of the long-distance and hectic scheduling.”

“Is this your first time then?” Weiss asks curiously.

“No, no,” Ruby answers, “I’ve attended…” they do some math in their head, “five of these.” Weiss pushes her glasses up in embarrassment. “Is this your first time, Miss Schnee?”

“Yes, it is…,” she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Weiss has been known as a workaholic,” Winter chimes in. “I invite her to this every year, but she refuses to go. Until… tonight.” Her sister glances at her suspiciously. 

“Well,” Weiss says, “I thought, maybe, I could have some fun for once in my life.” She huffs.

“I can make that happen,” they say, with a wink, and without Winter noticing. A blush begins to appear on Weiss’s face.

Winter wraps an arm around her shoulders, “I’m glad to hear it.” She turns to Ruby, “It’s been an honor meeting you, Sergeant.”

They salute, “Captain,” face Weiss, “It’s been an honor meeting you, Miss Schnee,” and walk off.

“Weiss,” Winter calls to her attention, “while you’re here, there are some other officers you should meet—”

“Wait,” Weiss gently shoves away from her sister. “Can you give me five more minutes with Sergeant Rose?” She asks. “I’m curious to know their managerial methods in Argus,” she lies.

Winter looks pleased with her. “If you insist, sister. Although, that would have to be their call to make.”

Weiss follows her sister’s gaze and lands on Ruby surrounded by a handful of their peers. They seem to be engaged in a deep conversation. Weiss struts over the other side of the room and gathers Ruby’s attention by clearing her throat. 

“Oh, Miss Schnee, what a pleasant surprise,” they acknowledge. 

"Sergeant Rose," she addresses, "would you kindly escort me somewhere we can discuss in private?"

"Yes?"

She loops an arm around their elbow, "Ladies, gentlemen," she addresses the small group, "will you excuse us?" A few of them tip their caps to grant permission, but Weiss didn’t care. Ruby guides Weiss to another part of the room, “So, you’re a Sergeant?”

They give her a smug smile. “Yes, I am.”

“I thought you said your rank wasn’t important?” She asks, crossing her arms to hear an explanation. 

“I mean… it’s not. Not to the capacity of someone like Captain Schnee—”

“No relation,” Weiss interrupts, Ruby scoffs. “Plus, I thought you didn’t know her.”

“We’ve never met officially. Until tonight. I guess my feats in Argus have made their rounds back here in Atlas.”

“Well, I will love to hear more about it.”

Ruby offers her elbow. “Would you mind taking a stroll outside?”

“I could use some fresh air,” she replies. 

* * *

Ruby and Weiss didn’t stray too far from the Ball. According to them, the gardens outside form a U-shape around the perimeter of the venue. The landscaping changes by the seasons, but since the Ball occurs annually, they have yet to see the other seasons in full bloom.

“I wasn’t aware Atlas had other seasons, to begin with,” Weiss commented.

They chuckle, “I mean… I imagine they would decorate appropriately. Summer, for instance, could have a more tropical atmosphere. Autumn could have a few pumpkins scattered around, maybe a scarecrow.”

It was Weiss’s turn to chuckle. “Is that your definition of autumnal decorations?”

“Yeah,” Ruby confirms, “it was what I grew up with.”

Weiss gives a puzzled look, “Wait, you’re not from Atlas?”

“No,” they shake their head. “I hail from Patch.”

Patch was a small region in Vale. The continent was nowhere near Mantle. “So, wait,” Weiss tries to wrap her head around this. “Why are you serving in the Atlas Military?”

They shrug. “I wanted to be away from home. Don’t get me wrong, I miss Vale, I miss Patch, but if I hadn’t served here, I wouldn’t’ve met you.” They looked on the bright side.

Weiss turns away from them. “Well, I’m flattered.”

“So, you obviously know I’m with the Atlas Military. What about you, Miss Schnee, what do you do?”

“I work for Beacon Inc.”

“Oh, wow, Beacon Inc. I’ve heard of that. Isn’t that in Vale though?”

"It is," she answers. Weiss stops by a hedge to speak with Ruby. "The main headquarters are in Vale. I'm the regional manager here in Atlas."

"Oh, interesting," she interjects. "We're kind of on the same playing field then."

Weiss ponders that thought for a minute. "Mmm, you could say that."

They continued walking until they reached a gazebo in the middle of the garden. It was like a scene taken out of a storybook. Fairy lights hung brightly along the beams of the structure. Weiss admired it in awe and asked how Ruby knew about it.

"You attend these shindigs more than once and you find yourself bored out of your mind. Bleh," they stick their tongue out. "I stumbled upon this two years ago." Weiss sits on one of the vacant benches. "It feels nice to share it with someone."

Weiss invites them to sit next to her. They sit down, knees touching. "It's surprisingly stable."

They scoff. "This place isn't abandoned or anything. They use this venue for weddings and stuff."

The word wedding piqued her interest. "'Weddings…?'" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

"...and stuff," they remind her. "I dunno," they shrug, "like a  _ quinceanera _ or something." 

Weiss laughs and the two continue to talk. She learned Ruby has been with the Atlas Military for close to nine years, enlisting straight out of high school. Weiss spent most of those years either studying or working. They mainly oversee the Argus base but trained in cybersecurity. According to Ruby, their major accomplishment consisted of taking down a budding terrorist organization. It was enthralling; far from Weiss’s mundane life of reports and meetings.

“So, what’s Vale like?” Weiss asks, scooting closer to Ruby.

They sigh. “Vale is very diverse. I’ve only been to the city a couple of times in my life, but I think I might move there after I finish my contract.”

Weiss rests her head on their shoulder. “Is it warmer there than Atlas?” She hums.

“Significantly,” they chuckle. “Why do you ask?”

She inhales Ruby’s natural musk, basking in the scent of mint and a hint of the ocean. “My trip to Mistral was for a conference for Fortune 500 companies. A handful of my coworkers and I attended to represent Beacon Inc. According to our CEO, she plans on retiring soon and is looking for someone to pass along the torch.”

Ruby turns their head to face Weiss, their noses practically touching. “Are you hoping that someone will be you?”

Weiss sighs. “A girl can only dream. I don’t plan on spending my whole life in Atlas. I’m willing to move to Vale.”

“I’m willing to move with you,” they declare. Weiss ducks her head lower, avoiding Ruby’s gaze. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so forward.”

She pushes her glasses up and fiddles with Ruby’s hand, pacifying the situation. “No- it’s- I…,” Weiss stumbles on her words. They seem to have that effect on her. “That’s very romantic of you to say, Sergeant. I’d go anywhere in the world with you, too,” she whispers.

Classical music can be heard from inside. Weiss lifted her head from their shoulder and saw a crowd of people dancing together with a partner. Ruby notices this and asks, "Would you… like to dance, Miss Schnee?"

They held out their free hand, and Weiss accepted it. "Okay." Ruby and Weiss land their feet on the grass and the Sergeant positions to lead. "Do you know how to dance, Sergeant?"

They start moving their feet to the rhythm of the music. The execution, so far, is flawless. "As I said before, Miss Schnee, I've been to these events more than once. And after a while you learn…," they dip Weiss, and pull her back up, "...a thing or two." Weiss was taken away, left completely breathless. 

The two danced and moved in sync. The light of the gazebo reflected Ruby's medallions as well as Weiss's dress. The twinkling lights make their silver eyes shine brighter. She has never seen anyone so beautiful in her life. The song comes to an end, but their arms linger around each other. And neither step away. 

Weiss flicks her eyes on Ruby's lips and they quickly receive the message. She leans for a kiss, and Ruby eagerly meets her halfway, parting only for air. Weiss pulls Ruby closer, deepening the kiss. Ruby slides their hands lower on Weiss's waist. 

The tip of their cap pokes Weiss's forehead. "Oops, sorry," they apologize. Weiss giggles. 

Ruby fixes her cap back in place while Weiss clears her throat and pushes her glasses up her nose. She looks up at them with a dopey expression on their face. "What?"

They pull Weiss in for a chaste kiss. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you looked?"

"Yes, you told me," Weiss kisses the back of their hand. "Back at the airship hangar—"

"Aw, beans," they groan. Weiss chuckles amusingly. "Gosh, I'm such an idiot." They bury their face in their hands.

"Well, if it’s any consolation,” Weiss brushes their hair and hands away from their face, “I think you’re a very cute idiot.” She places the palm of her hand on their cheek and they lean into the touch. Ruby moves closer, Weiss anticipated a kiss, but something else escapes their lips instead.

“Ever since earlier today, after we met, I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Ruby confesses. “Like, when I tried to stop, I got a little sad,” Weiss’s heart melted at their words. “When I’m with you, I’m happy. My heart aches when you’re not around.”

They took Weiss’s free hand. Weiss gives it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m really glad I was able to see you again.” She smiles at them.

The back door of the venue swings open and a wave of people exit the Ball. Winter is among them, and she frantically searches the area. Weiss hides behind Ruby. They follow her gaze at the Captain. “Did something happen between you two?”

She pulls Ruby back to the gazebo. “I may have lied and said I wanted to speak with you about professional manners, but I really just wanted your companionship.”

Ruby chuckles at her explanation. “‘Companionship?’” They smirk.

Weiss rolls her eyes and scoffs. “Okay, maybe a little more than companionship,” she admits. Weiss pulls Ruby in for a hungry kiss, savoring these final minutes alone before the two of them have to depart. She kisses them again for good luck. And another for the road. Her hand lingers on the back of their neck, playing with the loose strands falling from the cap. She gazes deeply into their eyes, fawning over them. “Will I ever see you again?”

They hum. “I can make that happen,” they murmur. 

“Maybe one day I’ll visit Argus,” she remarks, pecking their lips.

“I’d like that.”

She plants another kiss on their lips. “And maybe we’ll move to Vale together.”

A pregnant pause fills the space between them. “I’d like that a lot,” they say in a low, raspy voice.

Ruby writes down their contact information on Weiss’s leg. Her arms were a no go because they were exposed. They thought seeing the lower half of her body felt crass, but Weiss consented, hoping they’ll see more of her body in the future. They told Weiss not to peek, which made her suspicious; she idly turned away until they were done. She covers the writing with the skirt of her dress, the two leave the gazebo hand in hand, and Ruby kisses Weiss’s knuckles occasionally. 

The act drops once Weiss faces Winter. The older Schnee scurries over to Weiss. “There you are,” the Captain hugs her, “I’ve been worried sick about you.” She pulls away, expecting an explanation from her younger sister.

Ruby clears their throat. “This is all my fault, Captain. I take full responsibility for Miss Schnee’s whereabouts. I profusely apologize.” They bow respectfully. “We got… a little bit carried away in our conversation,” they explain, “but I’m sure she had a good time.” They glance over at Weiss.

“Yes,” Weiss quickly agrees. “Yes, I did.” She couldn’t believe Ruby took the fall for her. She promises to thank them later.

“Well,” Winter smiles at both of them, “I’m glad you had a nice time.” She turns to Ruby. “Thank you, Sergeant, for looking after my sister.”

“Of course.” Before going, they step in front of Weiss. “It’s been a pleasure, Miss Schnee.” They boldly kiss the back of her hand. Winter suspects nothing out of place, this is the proper etiquette after all.

“The pleasure is all mine,” she says, watching them leave the scene. Winter escorted Weiss back home, concluding the evening.

* * *

Weiss returns to her apartment, not even taking five steps before landing on the couch. She checks her scroll and finds it still dead. Her eagerness for seeing Ruby again distracted her from doing the most simple of tasks. Weiss sits up and rolls the dress skirt to reveal what Ruby wrote on her leg. It was their scroll number plus an address in Argus. She notices more markings near her ankle. It was a note from them: 

_ Thank you for giving me five minutes of your time, Miss Schnee. I would spend every second of my life with you if I could. Love always, Sgt. Ruby Rose _


	38. Blizzard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Blizzard  
> Writer: Phoenixhare  
> Link to Writer:   
> Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixHare  
> FF.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~phoenixhare  
> Tags: Modern AU, Jewel Thief! Weiss, Cop! Ruby

When a sudden blizzard hits the mountains during Ruby's and Weiss's weekend getaway from home, the couple finds themselves unable to leave for their cavern excursion. It was one of the few crystal caves found in the world, and more are being found every few years. Weiss, in particular, wanted to see them all.

Too bad for the blizzard though. The weather forecast says the blizzard should die down later into the night, giving Ruby and Weiss enough time to return home for work the following morning. Hopefully, the blizzard wouldn't snow them in their cabin.

Weiss was in the kitchen, watching the blizzard come down hard. She let out a frustrated sigh before turning the electric tea kettle off. There were two mugs: one blue and one red. The blue mug had a teaspoon of chocolate powder and a handful or mini-marshmallows. The red one had twice the amount of the same contents as the blue.

"Ruby, how's the fire going?" Weiss called out as she took the tea kettle and poured its contents into the mugs: warm milk.

"Just lit! And the hot chocolate?" Ruby asked from the living room.

"Finished heating. I'm about to mix and put on the whip cream." Weiss set down the kettle back on its burner and moved to the fridge to grab the whip cream bottle. After a few stirs in both mugs, Weiss added Whip cream on top.

Ruby had put a couple firewood into the fire before she went to set up fleece blankets and a comforter on the sofa. She set two wooden coasters on the coffee table between the sofa and the fireplace. Patting her hands together, she smiled, “And done.”

“Hot Chocolate’s here. Ready for an afternoon of watching movies due to the blizzard?” Weiss set the mugs on the coasters.

“I can’t wait” Ruby went over to the stack of movies they rented the night before. It had started a light snowfall then, but they didn’t know it’d turn into a blizzard. It’s lucky that Ruby, the movie buff and wants to watch all the movies under the sun, couldn’t decided a few movies to watch and rented everything she had wanted to watch with Weiss. She picked a rom-com from the top of the pile, “When it’s a date, romantic comedies are the best.”

Weiss rolled her eyes as she wrapped herself in a fleece blanket. She spread open the grey comforter, decorated with white roses. She and Ruby, both loving the comforter, had half a mind to take it with them. And it was the older woman who convinced the other they shouldn’t pack it. “Hurry up and get under the covers. It’s cold,” she wrapped her hands around the blue mug.

Before taking a sip, Weiss looked back out to the howling blizzard and sighed again, “What a pain”.

“The blizzard is really coming down hard, huh?” Ruby got comfy, resting herself against Weiss’s form. She was snug as a bug, as was the princess before her. Ruby turned on the TV and pressed play on the movie menu when prompted to. While the remote was placed on her lap, Ruby took a sip of her hot chocolate. “This is really good! You make really good hot chocolate, Weiss!”

Weiss remained silent and smiled, nodding her head in response. Her attention was on the blizzard instead of the movie, thoughts of the cave excursion in her mind.

“Still frustrated about it?” Ruby set her mug down, pausing the movie at the beginning, “ It’s not anyone’s fault it was cancelled; the blizzard came out of nowhere”.

Releasing a sigh, Weiss set her mug down on the coaster as she folded her arms on her lap, “I know. I just really wanted to see the crystal caves myself. I’m just really bummed about it. And you came out here with me, even though you were working too. On a tough case too.”

Ruby smiled and shook her head, “Don’t sweat it, Weiss. We can do it again next month. Even if the chief says I’m needed in another case or whatever, You come first. And Blizzard or not, we will get you to see your precious crystals. Must be special for a jewel thief like yourself.”

“Collector. I haven’t stolen anything!” Weiss’s cheeks tinted red.

“Says you. Need I remind you of how we met, miss ‘caught-red-handed-with-millions-of-dollars-worth-of-gems’?” Ruby chuckled as she pressed play on the movie. She took another sip of hot chocolate, finally getting Weiss’s attention from the blizzard outside. “Besides, the crystals will still be there next month. And every month after. No need to feel bad ‘cause of the rotten blizzard.”

Crossing her arms, Weiss watched the movie with Ruby at her side. She let out a scoff, “I guess you’re right. No way I’m letting a sly cop get the satisfaction of making me feel better about a missed opportunity.”

Ruby had always wondered what Weiss’s fascination with crystals, jewels, and anything shiny was about. But it wasn’t time for that. All Ruby wanted was to watch a movie with Weiss and drink her hot chocolate. Ruby scooted closer to Weiss, “If it makes you feel any better though, I’m glad the blizzard happened.”

“Hmm? Why’s that?” Weiss looked down at the off-duty cop.

“It means I can spend that much more time with you like this,” Ruby managed to get in-between Weiss’s legs and rested her body on Weiss’s chest.

Weiss could only smile in response. She held Ruby in her arms and started to watch the movie with the younger girl. Weiss didn’t know how Ruby did it, but for the last 6 months of knowing each other, The redhead had a way of having Weiss see the better parts of life. Turning a bad situation into a good one. To her, Ruby was one good cop and an even better partner. She still wouldn’t let Ruby know what went on in her head, though.

“You should drink your hot chocolate, Weiss. The Whip Cream’s dripping onto the table.”

“R-right…” Weiss took a sip and the day of movies continued.


	39. Weiss Sucks At Pranks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Revenge  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: Marbles, J. (2015, August 5). I Suck At Pranks [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSaqfAFaTwI

“Hey… Weiss,” Yang nervously asks her teammate, “whatcha doin’?” She was hovered over Ruby’s bunk, masking tape in hand.

Weiss turns her head to face the blonde. “Okay,” she sighs, “so, you know how Ruby keeps pranking me?”

“Like that time she ate chocolate pudding and ice cream, and said it was Zwei’s poop?”

_Ruby showed Weiss a pile of “dog poop” on the dorm floor. “Is that Zwei’s?” Weiss asked innocently._

_“Yeah,” she said with a concerned tone, “I don’t know what’s gotten into him. And it looks weird….” Ruby touched it with her finger, and Weiss gasped._

_“Ruby—”_

_She licked it._

_“No, Ruby!” She scolded and her partner rolled on the floor laughing._

“Or that time she lied about an assignment deadline for Port’s class?” Blake chimed it.

_Team RWBY was in their dorm studying one evening. Weiss turned to her partner to ask what topic she planned to do for Port’s essay._

_“I did the Beowolf. Why?” Ruby replied. She dropped down from her bunk._

_“Oh, nothing,” Weiss sighed. “Just making sure you’re on top of things.” She resumed her research._

_Ruby stood by Weiss’s side. “But I am on top of things. I finished it.” That made Weiss’s heart race and stop at the same time._

_“What?”_

_“Yeah, the essay was due last week.” Weiss couldn’t believe it. She scanned the calendar in front of her and saw that Ruby was correct. She was right for once!_

_The sound of Blake and Yang snickering across the room drew her attention. “What?”_

_Blake’s laughing ceased. “Ruby’s pulling a prank on you,” she explained. “Check the syllabus. The deadline is in two weeks.”_

_Weiss noticed a marker in their team leader’s hand. Ruby joined in on the laughter and Weiss shoved her. “You’re so mean!”_

“Yes, and yes,” she answers both of them. “But this time… I’m going to get my revenge!” She says triumphantly.

“And you’re going to use masking tape?” Yang points at the roll in Weiss’s hands.

“And plastic wrap and a bucket of water,” Weiss adds. “You wouldn't happen to have a bucket I can rest on top of the door by any chance?”

“I don’t think buckets are allowed in dorms,” Yang shrugs. “But I do have an egg.”

Weiss accepts the egg and explains the rest of her masterful plan to Blake and Yang. Ruby is currently in leadership class, so Weiss has a two-hour window before she comes back. The first thing Ruby is going to see is Weiss covered in ketchup being “dead.” Then, she will have booby traps around the dorm, setting off a series of pranks.

She wouldn’t know what hit her.

“Okay,” Yang interrupts her. “Blake and I will head to town to catch a movie. Let us know if you need anything.”

“Oh, all I need… is sweet revenge,” she says, wringing her hands.

“Come on, let’s go,” Blake says, dragging Yang out of the dorm.

* * *

Weiss laid face-down on the dorm room floor. She placed the egg on the cracked door, covered herself in ketchup, and waited, for who knows how long, for Ruby to arrive. 

“See you later, Jaune,” Weiss heard Ruby talking to her friend. Finally, Ruby was approaching the door.

The team leader looked down at Weiss and giggled. " _Wow,_ " she laughed. "Oh my gosh, Weiss. What are we going to do with your body?"

"I'm so dead," she giggled. "I'm so dead." Ruby shared a laugh with her.

"Oh… my gosh," she smiled. "I'll give you one thing; when I saw the door open, I legitimately got freaked out. But then the first thing I saw was this." She gestured toward Weiss’s “corpse.”

Weiss laughed. “Um,” she looks up at Ruby, “did you open the door?”

Ruby looks up, “You little”—she chuckles—“you were going to have an egg fall on me?” She picks up the egg from the top of the door.

“Why didn’t it fall on you?” Weiss laughed.

“I didn’t touch the door,” she beams. Weiss giggles. “Great prank.” 

Weiss rises on her feet. “Wait until you see what else I did to prank you and get you back.” She wipes the ketchup off her face. “Come, come,” she shows Ruby the desk, “good luck getting any work done.”

“Oh my gosh,” she chuckles. “You just taped everything.” The desk and chair were poorly covered in masking tape.

“What? No, I pranked you,” she said, looking at Ruby. “It’s a prank, Ruby.”

“Your prank consists of taping a desk we share but you primarily use?”

“Don’t be rude.”

Ruby places the egg on the table and spins it. “This egg is hard-boiled. It’s cooked all the way through,” she and Weiss giggled. “All it would’ve done is mildly inconvenience me.”

“‘Mildly inconvenience you?’” Weiss asked, shocked. “So, you didn’t believe I was dead?”

“There was a strong scent of ketchup, but I dunno. Maybe you were dead. I just thought—”

“I’m dead, Ruby!” Weiss cried. “You didn’t even think for a second I was dead?”

“No.”

“But no one else is here—”

“The door open gave me honest, like, legitimate fear so….” She dismisses her and walks over to their bunks. Ruby notices three strips of tape along the head and foot of the bed.

“Good luck sleeping in your bunk,” Weiss smirks. 

“This is an anti-prank.” Ruby climbs up and lays down, ripping the tape off.

“Oh my gosh! How did you do that?” Weiss cried. “Dang it!” Before she gets comfortable, Weiss gets an idea, and tugs at the end of Ruby’s cape. “Well, do you need to go to the bathroom or anything?”

Ruby complies and follows Weiss to the dorm bathroom. She snickers. “Oh man,” she sighs, seeing the toilet and the sink covered in plastic wrap. “You go me good,” she says, facing Weiss.

“Do you feel pranked?”

“I’m so pranked. I feel pranked.” Ruby leaves the bathroom. “Is this you getting me back for all the pranks I’ve done to you?”

“Yeah,” Weiss follows her out, “I mean I’d say I did pretty good, all things considered.”

“Trolling aside, when I saw the door open, I legitimately got scared.”

“I’m just upset the egg didn’t fall on you,” Weiss whines, picking up the egg.

Ruby points at the ketchup stains. “You still got some blood on your shirt.”

“I’m dead, actually.” Ruby giggles. “I showed you all of this from the grave.” Ruby ignores her and slips her boots off. Weiss stands in front of her, hands on her hips. “I mean, are you going to think twice before pranking me because I pranked you so bad?”

“Yeah. Well, you don’t have a traumatizing prank happen to you and not think twice.”


	40. Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Shield  
> Writer: HopeofMorning910  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeOfMorning910
> 
> Summary: Ruby is the Warden, the protector and shield of the forest. But what do you do when a human suddenly becomes one of the things you need to protect? How do you help them feel safe and secure? How do you keep the hurt and fear away? Ruby doesn’t know, but this human makes her want to find out.
> 
> A/N: Direct sequel to Chapter 26 - Sanctuary. Now that this AU is (sort of) becoming its own mini-series, the chapters are going to be collected and re-released over at https://www.fanfiction.net/~hopeofmorning910 under the story “Sanctuary” for easy reading. To those who expressed an interest in this sequel, thank you. ^_^

Ruby was sitting in the crook of an ancient tree when Blake found her. 

The shadow panther climbed the next tree over and expertly leaped from one branch to another until she landed lightly in front of Ruby. Ruby’s branch was nearly four feet wide and much longer than that, so there was plenty of room for both of them. 

Blake padded over, her movements sleek and utterly silent. She chuffed softly in greeting as Ruby rose to a crouch to meet her. Ruby did her best to mimic the friendly chuffing sound, an effort that was met with a gentle, purr-like growl of approval. 

Blake blinked her amber eyes slowly, ducked her chin, and affectionately rubbed the top of her head along the bottom of Ruby’s jaw, chuffing the entire time. Ruby gave her a warm hug, briefly burrowing her face in Blake’s fur before giving her a scratch behind her ears, digging in deep with her fingers in the way she knew Blake liked. Blake’s rumble of contentment grew louder, and when Blake finally pulled away, she licked Ruby’s cheek.

Ruby sat back against her tree with her legs outstretched. Blake curled up next to her and rested her head in Ruby’s lap. 

Ruby grinned and murmured, “Welcome back,” as she continued running her fingers through Blake’s silky black fur.

Blake offered her another contented chuff as they both settled in to wait.

It wasn’t long before a huge golden blur flashed up from below. Neither Blake nor Ruby twitched in the slightest. There was only one golden dragon in these parts, and that particular dragon happened to be a very close companion of theirs. 

The dragon flew straight up and dropped in a swooping turn to alight on their branch. She wobbled a bit on her landing, but that was to be expected since she was missing part of her right foreleg.

Then she unfurled her massive wings with a snap and abruptly shook herself. Ruby whipped the corner of her cloak up to block a sudden spray of water, doing her best to cover Blake as well. Blake bumped Ruby’s elbow in thanks.

_“Blake,”_ Yang whined, her voice feeling as hot as the midday sun in Ruby’s mind. _“That was mean!”_

“What happened?” Ruby asked, bemused.

Blake’s reply was smug. _“Yang tried sneaking up on me.”_

In contrast to Yang’s voice, Blake’s voice always felt cool like the shadows her magic let her disappear into. Shadow panthers like Blake were rare but formidable creatures. In some places they were called shadow walkers because not only could they hide in pools of shadow, but they could also use shadows like gateways, allowing them to sink into one shadow only to leap out of another. And apparently, their magical gifts were enough for them to be able to outmaneuver a dragon.

_“Yeah, but you didn’t have to knock me into the river,”_ Yang said plaintively. 

Yang eyed the two of them curled around each other and huffed. Then her form shimmered, and suddenly she was about the size of a fox. Unlike Zwei who was able to shift into a smaller form because he was bonded with Ruby and therefore able to draw on her magic, Yang was able to alter her size thanks to her own magic.

Yang promptly winged over to join their cuddle pile. She nuzzled Ruby in greeting before crawling over her lap to tuck herself against Blake’s side. Blake chuffed at her as she licked away a few stray water droplets that Yang hadn’t managed to shake off.

Yang rubbed her head against Blake with an affectionate croon, and Blake responded with her own loving nuzzle.

Ruby just smiled, happy that her family was happy. 

“So how was your trip?” Ruby asked them after they finished greeting one another.

Yang flopped over on her back and glanced down pointedly. Ruby dutifully started rubbing Yang’s exposed belly, earning herself several grunts of pleasure. Blake rolled her eyes, and her tail flicked in amusement.

_“You were right. Loggers were encroaching on the southern boundary line,”_ Blake answered for them.

_“They weren’t the sort of humans we thought you could reason with so we killed a couple of them and torched their camp,”_ Yang added when she finally rolled back over. _“Don’t think they’re going to risk approaching the Boundary again anytime soon.”_

Ruby’s expression fell. “Sorry I had to ask you to do that.”

Blake lifted her head. _“It’s fine, Ruby.”_

_“Yeah. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt for you to rely on us a bit more. This is our home, too.”_ Yang’s voice was unusually solemn for once.

Ruby shook her head. “The less they know, the better. As long as they don’t know what really lives here, their minds can imagine all sorts of monsters and the fear will keep them away.”

Yang’s eyes narrowed. _“And if the only thing they see happens to be a mysterious being in a red cloak, they won’t think to target anything else until their visible enemy has been vanquished.”_

Yang turned away with a low growl, her tail twining agitatedly. When she finally glanced back at Ruby, Yang’s eyes had gone from their usual calm lilac to a burning red. 

Ruby’s entire body seized up as the full force of Yang’s true power struck her head on. A heavy weight descended on her chest, making it hard to breathe, and she couldn’t seem to move.

Yang’s lips peeled back, revealing a mouthful of deadly fangs, and tongues of flame flared from her mouth. She snarled, _“If they try to hunt you, I will hunt them first. Then I will find their homes and torch their fields. I will tear down their dens of wood and stone and kill the animals they raise. I will—”_

The rest of Yang’s speech was cut off by a startled squawk when a large paw batted her out of Ruby’s lap with enough force to knock her off their branch.

As soon as those burning eyes vanished, Ruby shuddered and gasped, finally able to breathe again. A warm, furry body pressed up against her, and she hugged it gratefully.

Yang flew back over the branch, her wings beating steadily. She landed with a thud, her claws digging deep furrows in the bark to keep herself from losing her balance. _“What was that for?”_ she grumbled.

Blake’s voice rumbled forth. _“You need to let her breathe.”_

_“Oh.”_ Yang sounded chagrined. _“Sorry. You alright, Ruby?”_

Ruby pulled away from Blake and nodded. “Yeah.” She held out her hands and drew Yang back into her lap. “I know you’re worried about me, but I’ll be alright. And if I’m not, you’ll be the first to know.” 

_“We better be,”_ Yang grumbled as she nipped Ruby’s chin, half-affectionately and half in chastisement.

Ruby grinned and started stroking Yang along her sides, enjoying the fluid sensation of those protective scales beneath her fingers. Yang rested her chin on Ruby’s shoulder with a heavy sigh and shifted so that Ruby could reach under her wings as well. 

It was Blake who eventually asked, _“So what are you doing all the way out here, Ruby? We’ve been looking for you all morning. You weren’t at the den or in any of your usual haunts.”_ She turned her head in the direction Ruby had been facing, and her nostrils flared. _“Did the human do something wrong?”_

“Weiss.” The name left Ruby’s lips before she even realized she had spoken.

Blake canted her head questioningly.

Ruby cleared her throat and spoke a little louder. “Her name is Weiss.” She didn’t know why it was so important to her that Yang and Blake knew this human’s name, but it was.

Blake blinked slowly. _“Alright...so did Weiss do something wrong? Is that why you’re here? To keep an eye on her?”_

“No, I—”

Ruby’s words were interrupted by a beautiful, soaring soprano that rose high above the usual forest sounds. The lovely voice wove through the trees, and Ruby couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. 

Both Yang and Blake tilted their heads at the rising song and turned to look at Ruby. For some reason, their shared attention made her cheeks warm. She glanced away.

“Weiss sometimes sings around mid-morning and early evening.” Ruby fussed with the hem of her shirt as she mumbled, “It’s really, really pretty.” 

Yang and Blake exchanged a glance. 

Yang lifted her head and looked like she was about to say something when the distant melody suddenly cut off, and in its place came an undeniable, _“Achoo!”_

The sound made Ruby straighten, and there was a strange flutter in her belly.

_Cute._

Then a tendril of concern spread through her chest. Was it too cold for Weiss? Was that why she sneezed? That wasn’t good. Humans were fragile. And couldn’t they get sick if they got too cold?

_“—uby.”_ A large paw landed on her knee.

Ruby blinked and found two sets of eyes on her. “Yeah?”

Her companions exchanged another glance.

Blake drew her paw back. _“What’s wrong? You suddenly looked worried.”_

Ruby shrugged as her eyes drifted down to her red cloak. “I was wondering if Weiss was warm enough.” 

Yang followed Ruby’s gaze. _“You aren’t thinking what I think you’re thinking, are you? Summer gave you that cloak.”_ Her wings twitched uneasily.

Indeed, the cloak had been Summer’s last gift to Ruby before she suddenly disappeared. The enchanted garment was spelled against wear and tear, and it shed dirt and grime like an oilcloth could shed water. More importantly, it protected its wearer from both the heat and inclement weather.

_“Ruby?”_

Yang was still waiting for an answer, but Ruby didn’t know where to start. She never knew where to start when it came to the human called Weiss.

Finally, she said, “If I can shield Weiss from the cold, then I want to.” 

_“But why? She’s just a human.”_

Ruby closed her eyes, trying to find the words. “Her soul...it’s pure. Clean and crisp like the world after a snowstorm and just as bright.” And it felt good in ways that Ruby didn’t know how to explain. 

How could anyone want to destroy something so beautiful? How could Weiss’s own _sire_ want to destroy something so beautiful? Did he not see how amazing her soul was?

But no, apparently not, and the monster in human form had pushed Weiss to the very limits of her sanity. 

Ruby could almost taste Weiss’s fear and desperation the night she fell to her knees before Ruby, pleading for sanctuary. And the sheer relief in those light blue eyes when Ruby told Weiss that her hunters were no more, and the honest, heartfelt words of gratitude that followed…

Had anyone ever thanked Ruby so? No human had, that was for certain. Even those who thanked Ruby did so with fear staining their words and distrust seeping from every pore of their being.

Ruby’s mind flitted to another set of thoughts. 

She had enjoyed cradling Weiss against her as Zwei carried them to the human den. She liked the idea that Weiss felt safe enough with her to rest in her arms. And Ruby had been strangely reluctant to wake her when they finally reached their destination.

Ruby opened her eyes and looked at Blake. “Weiss reminds me of when we first found you.”

Blake’s ears pinned themselves flat against her skull. In all likelihood, she was recalling the same memories that Ruby was.

It had been Zwei who had led Ruby and Yang to Blake’s broken and bloodied body all those years ago. They found her just outside the Boundary. Some creature had gored her, stabbing its horns or tusks deep in her side. Somehow Blake had survived, but the scars remained, both the seen and the unseen. Even now Blake would sometimes jerk awake in the night, snarling in fear as her invisible demons haunted her.

That was why Ruby was sure Blake would understand. 

“Weiss has nightmares, bad ones. Zwei told me so. Maybe she’s just a human, but she’s hurting. I promised her sanctuary as the Warden. That means it’s my duty to protect and shield her, to give her a place where she can feel safe and rest.” 

_Like we did for you._

Blake met and held Ruby’s eyes. Then she heaved a grumbly sigh and pressed her brow against Ruby’s cheek. A low growl reverberated deep in her chest. Ruby reached up and wrapped an arm around Blake’s neck in a half hug. 

At some point, Yang had crawled out of Ruby’s lap and shifted back into one of her larger forms. She wrapped her wings around both of them and bent her head down to nuzzle Blake.

Blake’s voice was warm as she pulled away from Ruby. _“And you would seek to protect the world if you could.”_

Ruby shrugged. “I don’t like it when others are hurting.” Her eyes dropped, and she added quietly, “And it’s nice to be able to help a human for once instead of having to scare, hurt, or kill them.” 

Yang hunkered down, her head in this form large enough to bite Ruby in half, and turned to meet Ruby’s eyes. _“Then go and do what you will. I will not gainsay you. Not after the gift your kindness brought me the last time.”_

She curled her serpentine neck around Blake and rubbed her cheek gently against the shadow panther. Blake rumbled with that purring growl again and licked Yang’s muzzle. They might be entirely different creatures, but there was no denying the love and affection they had for one another.

_“But be wary, little one,”_ Yang continued when she turned back to Ruby once more. _“The human is not a creature of this place. Her values might not align with ours. And I worry that you would give too much to one who is ignorant of the gifts you bring. Perhaps instead of risking your own cloak, you could make her one of her own. You have the skills now, do you not?”_

Ruby rose to her feet, trying to ignore the twinge in her heart at the idea that Weiss wasn’t what she seemed. “I’ll think about it.”

Yang rumbled her approval. _“That is all I ask. We’ll meet you back at the den.”_

Blake brushed up against Ruby’s hip in her own wordless farewell before making her way down the tree. Yang was quick to follow. After nuzzling Ruby one last time, Yang spread her wings and launched herself into the air.

Ruby waved goodbye as she watched them go, her mind preoccupied with Yang’s final suggestion.

Honestly, it was a good idea, but it would also mean Weiss wouldn’t get the cloak for at least a moonspan, if even then. Ruby wished she knew exactly how fragile humans were. Would they get sick after a night of being cold? A week? And if they got sick, would they get well again?

She touched the edge of her cloak, feeling its thick weave between her fingers and the comforting weight of it on her shoulders.

She would do both, she decided at last. She would make Weiss a cloak of her own, but in the meantime, she could use Ruby’s. It would shield Weiss from the chill and cold, and maybe, just maybe, it could bring Weiss the same comfort it had always given her.

* * *

Settling into her new home was easier than Weiss expected. As promised, the Warden returned later that first day to check up on her, and to Weiss’s pleasant surprise, the Warden even brought a small cart filled with various furs, rolls of cloth, and carded wool. In other words, bedding material.

Weiss was relieved beyond measure not to have to sleep on that bare bed frame again and promptly made herself a mattress pad with the wool and cloth. The furs would add even more cushioning, and the remainder of the cloth could be used for making a few more sets of clothes since she had been forced to leave most of her belongings back at the keep.

Fortunately, the cottage’s previous residents had left a number of useful things behind. There were utensils, dishes, cookware, storage vessels, and even a small loom tucked away in the otherwise empty pantry. She found tools, buckets, spare nails, and other similar items in the storage shed outside. There was even a large chest filled with seeds that were neatly organized by type and planting season. 

Weiss’s days were quickly divided between sewing herself new garments and readying the large plot of land behind the cottage for farming. Zwei was a great help in breaking up the hard topsoil. His large, shovel-like paws were far more effective than Weiss trying to wield the heavy farming tools she found in the shed. 

In fact, Zwei was helpful in a number of ways. Not only was he great company, but he routinely helped her gather firewood and even brought her fresh meat every now and then. Dressing wild game wasn’t a skill she had much practice with, but she knew the basics. The lady of a household was expected to know how to cook after all, if only to impress her new family when she left to get married.

Zwei was also the only reason Weiss was able to get any sleep. After her harrowing journey to reach the Unmarked Lands, her dreams were fraught with fear and turmoil. Slavering, bloodthirsty hounds chased her through dark forests, and shadowy men dragged her kicking and screaming back to her father, at least when they didn’t kill her outright. After several nights of waking in cold sweat, her heart pounding like a drum and unable to fall back asleep, Zwei shifted from his corgi form back to his true form, climbed into Weiss’s bed, and curled up around her protectively. His warm presence, coupled with the faint scent of roses that always seemed to waft through the air whenever he shifted from one form to another, helped ward away the worst of her nightmares.

In fact, the only thing missing in her new life was the presence of the one who made this all possible. 

The Warden. 

Ruby.

Weiss knew the Warden was nearby watching over her because every few days, Zwei would shift into his wolf form, grab one of the woven baskets from the storage shed, trot off into the forest, and return with the basket filled with small gifts from someone who clearly cared about her wellbeing. 

Spools of thread. Freshly picked berries. A box of candles and a simple earthenware candlestick holder that she suspected a certain someone had made just for her. A string of fresh fish. Sacks of jerky and dried fruit. A bunch of wild carrots or a handful of wild onions. A warm blanket. 

The items were always random and always something that made Weiss’s life a little easier and a little more comfortable. And every time Zwei trotted up to her with a new basket, the warm feeling in her chest grew. She began to look forward to Zwei’s deliveries and wished Ruby would show herself so Weiss could thank her properly. Alas, Ruby never did, but the gifts continued, and before she knew it, a moonspan had already passed.

Weiss’s only consolation was Zwei’s presence and the crimson rose petal that remained tucked away in her diary. Against all odds, it remained as soft and fresh as the day Weiss caught it between her fingers. At some point, Weiss found herself taking it out in the evenings and letting its soothing scent wash over her just before she turned in for the night. Perhaps it was only in her head, but her dreams always seemed quieter when she did so and her sleep more restful.

What she didn’t expect was for Zwei to one day come trotting out of the forest with a bundle of red cloth. She was sitting on the front porch when he plopped it in her lap, his tongue panting and his tail wagging, clearly pleased with himself. 

Weiss petted him absentmindedly, her attention focused on the thick, rose-scented cloth in her lap. She unfurled it, and her eyes widened in disbelief. It was the Warden’s cloak. _Ruby’s_ cloak.

She looked at the wolf before her. “Zwei, why did you bring this to me?”

Of course, Zwei didn’t answer her. He simply licked her cheek, shifted back into his corgi form, and curled up next to her for a nap. 

Weiss didn’t know what to do with it. She left it nearby as she weeded the garden, and she found herself glancing over at the bright red cloth often. When she moved back to the porch to get more sewing done before the sun set, she reached out to stroke the garment more than once. It wasn’t until late that night that she summoned the courage to drape the cloak over her shoulders, and it was like being embraced by a blanket of rose petals. She went to sleep with the cloak bundled around her, and between Zwei and the cloak, she slept peacefully through the night for the first time since arriving.

* * *

Weiss was measuring out a length of cloth to make a curtain for the pantry when Zwei suddenly perked up his ears and lifted his head. His tail wagged, and he scrambled to his feet, barking excitedly. He ran to the door and whined. 

“What’s wrong?” Weiss asked him as she joined him at the door.

He whined again and scratched at the door lightly.

Curious, Weiss opened the door for him, and he shifted into his wolf form as soon as he leaped off the porch. He dashed away from the house with an excited whine.

The sudden sound of laughter stole Weiss’s breath away. Her gaze shot up, a feeling of hope and anticipation bubbling in her chest. A smile spread across her face when her eyes found the person they sought.

There she was as wildly beautiful and vibrant as ever. Ruby. The Warden. The only difference was that she wasn’t wearing a cloak this time, which only made sense since that very cloak was currently draped across Weiss’s own shoulders. Weiss rarely took it off these days unless she absolutely had to.

Ruby grinned widely as she greeted her wolf, ruffling his fur and scratching his ears. “Hello, Zwei. It’s good to see you, too.”

Weiss’s heart thumped. She had longed to hear that voice again for so long.

She slipped on her shoes and stepped onto the porch.

Ruby glanced up, her silver eyes glinting in the fading sun. She wore an off-white shirt covered with a leather jerkin and simple leather pants. Her boots looked well-worn but sturdy, and she had a pair of gloves tucked into her belt.

As soon as their eyes met, time seemed to slow. 

Ruby straightened. “Hello.” Her voice was soft.

Again, Weiss’s heart jumped at the sound. “Hello.” She waited, expecting Ruby to step through the open gate and enter the front yard, but the Warden didn’t move except to pet Zwei some more.

At last, Weiss asked, “Will you not come in?” 

Ruby shifted her weight. “I didn’t wish to presume.”

“Presume?”

Ruby gestured towards the building. “This is your territory now. Your den. And as your den, it should be a place where you always feel safe and sheltered. A place where you can let your guard down without fear of attack. Trespassers threaten that safety. I want you to feel safe here.”

And all at once, Weiss’s chest clenched and overflowed with emotion. Surprise, warmth, shock, amazement, and perhaps something more.

When was the last time someone had treated her with such careful consideration? Even Klein didn’t always have the luxury to do so though she knew he tried. 

Her people respected her, but her father always had ways of getting people to do what he wished. Not even her private quarters were safe because he routinely sent servants in to rummage through her things and report back to him. And even if Weiss caught them in the act, there was nothing she could do. If she made a fuss, they would lose their livelihoods and their families might starve. Weiss wasn’t so cruel as to punish someone who had been coerced by her father. But that also meant she had no place to truly call her own.

Until now. 

Weiss tried to speak. She tried to put into words some of what she was feeling, but the words wouldn’t come.

Finally, she closed her eyes and breathed in the faint scent of roses that always seemed to linger around the Warden’s cloak. It steadied her, and she opened her eyes to try again.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice trembling with emotion.

A strange look flashed across Ruby’s face far too quickly for Weiss to read. Then Ruby responded quietly, “You’re welcome.”

“But I don’t want you to stand on ceremony for me,” Weiss continued as she stepped off the porch. “You are always welcome here.”

Ruby’s brows drew together, and she opened her mouth as if to speak, but Weiss didn’t let her.

“Please, I mean it. You are welcome here.”

The Warden let out a slow breath before nodding. She stepped past the gate and drew closer until she was only a few steps away from Weiss. 

Zwei danced back and forth between the two of them, whining softly and brushing up against them often, his tail wagging furiously.

Ruby gave a low chuckle as she gave him more attention, and Weiss couldn't seem to look away from the smile on the Warden’s face. Who would have thought that the Warden of the old tales would smile so?

“Have you been well?” The Warden asked. Her tone was light, but there was no doubt in Weiss’s mind that Ruby was listening intently for her answer.

“Yes, very well, thank you.”

Ruby nodded. “I’m glad.” 

She gave Zwei one last pat before turning to face Weiss properly. “I came to see if you needed anything else.”

Weiss blinked. “What more could I possibly want? You’ve given me a home, a place to be safe, and you’ve been sending those baskets every few days. Between the food you send me and Zwei’s hunting trips, I should be able to manage until the first harvest.”

She shifted and her borrowed cloak swayed against her legs. “And you even lent me your cloak. Do you by any chance need it returned?”

Ruby was already shaking her head. “No, it’s yours until you no longer need it. You’ve been taking good care of it. I don’t mind entrusting it to you a little longer.”

_“Entrusting it”? Was it that important to her?_ But there was no time for Weiss to voice the query.

Ruby searched her face. “You’re sure? There is nothing else you need so you can live comfortably?”

Weiss’s hesitation must have shown on her face for Ruby tilted her head questioningly. The movement was oddly reminiscent of Zwei in his corgi form, and suddenly, Weiss’s worries seemed silly. 

Weiss wet her lips and clasped her hands. “Company. Zwei is a wonderful companion, but sometimes it can get...quiet here.” She held her breath.

Silence. And then, “You would want my company?”

This time it was Weiss’s turn to tilt her head. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I frightened you the night you first came here.”

Suddenly, a number of things fell into place. “That’s why you haven’t visited?”

Ruby shrugged as she looked away. “I did not wish to frighten you again.” 

Weiss took a half step closer. “You could never.”

“Perhaps. But humans are usually frightened of me.”

There was a note in Ruby’s voice that made Weiss want to reach out and lay a hand on Ruby’s arm to comfort her, but she wasn’t sure if such a gesture would be welcomed. So instead she said, “That’s because the stories that surround you are quite fearsome indeed, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn not to fear. I do not fear you now.” 

How could she when the Warden had been so unerringly kind and considerate to her?

Ruby cocked her head. “You speak truth.” A smile touched her lips and her eyes lightened, bringing a smile to Weiss’s own face. “But I don’t know what company means to a human. What should I…?”

Weiss tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Perhaps...instead of having Zwei deliver the baskets, you can bring them yourself and stay a while? We can talk or I can make a simple meal for us to share.”

“And this would bring you comfort?”

“It would.” 

_More comfort than you could possibly know._

“Then I will do what I can.”

Weiss smiled as a part of her tingled with anticipation. “I look forward to it.”

Ruby seemed to relax upon seeing Weiss’s expression and even smiled herself. However, that smile was destined to be short-lived.

Ruby’s visage suddenly hardened, and her head snapped towards the west.

“Zwei!” she said sharply. “Stay here. Protect Weiss.”

Ruby met Weiss’s eyes. “You are safe here. I promise.” And in the blink of an eye, she vanished in a whirlwind of crimson petals.

* * *

Ruby summoned the powers she usually left dormant and flew through the forest in a rush of rose petals. She swirled over boulders and fallen trees, and slid around tree trunks.

She reached out with her magic and touched the forest. Her jaw tightened as information flooded her mind. For one excruciating moment, she was aware of every single object, living or inanimate, within the forest. She sensed every grain of sand; every rock and boulder; every tree, bush, grass, lichen, and patch of moss; and every bird, fish, insect, reptile, and mammal. That was why she knew without seeing that Zwei was currently herding Weiss into her den and that Yang and Blake were already at the Boundary, most likely watching the trespassers. 

Then Ruby shed all the information she didn’t need and focused her attention strictly to the west. The pressure on her mind and body eased, though she knew that she wouldn’t be able to maintain this connection with the forest for very long. 

The west sounded “loud,” for lack of a better term. The animals were spooked, and those that couldn’t take shelter were fleeing the heavy-footed humans who were tramping through their homes.

Ruby’s lips twisted in a silent snarl, and heat pulsed through her. The humans had crossed the Boundary without permission and without justifiable reason. 

The old rules and promises were clear though humans seemed to have forgotten them by now. Petition the Warden before crossing the Boundary. If the Warden grants you entry, be respectful of the forest. Take no more than you need. Do not cause any unnecessary destruction. One may request sanctuary, but only those true of heart and soul would be considered. Those with ill intentions and lying hearts would be struck down where they stood. 

_But Weiss hadn’t forgotten them,_ a voice said at the back of her mind. _She remembered the old promises. She has followed the rules._

True, Weiss had crossed the Boundary without permission, but only because her life had been in immediate danger. While some Wardens might have been stricter than others, no Warden was entirely heartless. Exceptions could be made.

But _these_ humans deserved no exceptions. They deserved no mercy. She could feel their bloodthirst and ill intentions even from here. They came for blood. They came to take an innocent life. They came to do harm to another in _her_ forest.

They would not be leaving.

She started to count them, but her head throbbed painfully—a warning that her body and mind were getting overloaded by the sheer amount of sensory information coursing into her.

Reluctantly, she let go of her connection to the forest, but not before sending a ripple of magic towards Yang and Blake to let them know she was coming. She wouldn’t be meeting them though. 

Ruby was the Warden, and this was her task. It was her duty to see this through, to be a shield for those that might not be able to protect themselves. Yang and Blake might not need her protection, but it was her privilege to keep this place safe for them. If she needed their help, she would ask, but these particular humans weren’t worth their attention.

Ruby landed on a sturdy branch high above the human intruders and wreathed herself in power. She threw her voice, and it echoed from all directions.

_“Humans aren’t welcome in these lands. You have crossed the Boundary without permission. Tell me, why should I let you live?”_

Words similar yet different to the same ones she spoke to Weiss nearly two moonspans ago. Only this time, Ruby was thrumming with the true power of the Warden and the thrill of the hunt. The heart of the forest had sensed these humans through its connection to her, and it wanted their blood.

Fear and panic coursed through the humans below at the sound of her voice. They shouted orders at each other and stood back-to-back to face the darkness, steel drawn and eyes searching. Too bad their vigilance wouldn’t save them.

One of the men spoke. “W-we seek a young woman who stole something of great value from Lord Schnee. He wants that something returned.”

Ruby stiffened. The dishonesty of his words and intentions burned like poison against her skin.

Fools. They should have known better than to lie to her. And to call Weiss a thief when she was the most honest human Ruby had ever met? A human so true to herself that her soul nearly rang with it? Ruby barely managed to suppress her growl.

She held out her hand and called upon her scythe. _“Humans aren’t welcome here,”_ she said again, her voice infused with power. _“And those with tainted tongues and hearts are even less so. You have trespassed, and now your lives are forfeit.”_

Ruby dropped to the ground. She landed without even a whisper of a sound and launched herself forward. She cut down five men before the others realized what was happening, and even then they were far too slow. She moved like the wind, cutting through each body in less than a fraction of a second. 

It was all so pointless and wasteful. Why couldn’t the humans just follow the rules? Why couldn’t they keep their promises? If they just followed the agreements they made back when they first came to this land, Ruby wouldn’t have to kill them.

A frustrated growl escaped her lips as she pursued the last few men. They tried to turn and run, but they had strayed too far past the Boundary. This was the Warden’s domain, and this particular Warden had been blessed with supernatural speed. They would not escape her.

The skirmish was over before it ever truly began.

Eventually, Ruby was left standing alone in the middle of the carnage, the smell of blood chokingly thick in her nostrils. Still, she breathed, letting the borrowed power flowing through her veins seep away until she felt more like herself again. Then she held up her scythe and tapped it against the earth before dispelling it.

“Take what you will,” she whispered.

The heart of the forest listened. 

The earth trembled, and the bodies sank into the ground. If someone were to walk through this patch of forest on the morrow, they would know a battle had taken place, but they would not find a single body. 

Amber eyes blinked as their owner stepped out of a patch of shadow. Blake padded up to Ruby and leaned heavily against her side, grounding her. Ruby always felt a little shaky after using so much of her powers.

_“Yang says there are a few more humans on the other side of the Boundary. She suspects they were watching the fight. She wants to know if you want us to hunt them down,”_ Blake said, her voice calm and soothing in Ruby’s mind.

Ruby breathed out a heavy sigh as she buried her fingers into Blake’s warm fur. “No. There’s been enough pointless death this night. As long as they stay on their side of the Boundary, they can live.”

_“They might return for revenge. Humans are foolish like that. If they are bested, they feel they must strut their feathers and howl even more loudly than before to prove their might.”_

Ruby shook her head. “They are on their side of the Boundary and therefore haven’t broken any rules. I want to be a protector, not a taker of life.”

Blake turned and rubbed her cheek against Ruby’s hand. _“Understood. I will tell Yang.”_ She surveyed Ruby carefully. _“You need rest. Head back to the den first. We will catch up.”_

Ruby was about to answer when she felt Zwei calling in the back of her mind. Her brow furrowed. Weiss was upset? Worried? She wouldn’t stop pacing?

“I need to go check on Weiss. Zweis says she’s troubled.”

Blake’s lips curled, showing a hint of fang. _“Are you sure that’s wise? You are tired, not at your best.”_

Ruby shrugged. “Maybe not. But I wouldn’t be able to relax anyway, knowing she’s upset.” In fact, her feet were already itching to move.

Blake growled but didn’t argue any further. _“Very well. I will let Yang know. Be safe.”_

“Mmm, I will.” Ruby stroked Blake’s head before summoning a touch of her power once more to race back to Weiss’s den.

* * *

Almost as soon as Ruby arrived at the human den, the door burst open. Weiss hurried down the steps with a candlelit lantern in her hand. Zwei trotted after her in his smaller form, whimpering softly.

“What happened? Are you alright?” Weiss’s brow wrinkled as she glanced up and down Ruby’s form. Her eyes landed on Ruby’s sleeve, and her gaze sharpened. “What is that? Is that...blood? Were you attacked? Are you hurt?”

The questions came so rapidly that Ruby didn’t know how to answer.

So she didn’t. 

The answers were negligible anyway. She was the Warden. She wasn’t invincible, but she could still take a beating. Plus, she could draw on the forest to help speed her healing.

Finding out why Weiss was distraught was far more important at the moment.

Ruby scanned the area, but she didn’t see anything that was particularly alarming. So why was Weiss so tense?

“What about you? Are _you_ alright? Zwei said you were upset.”

All at once, Weiss’s shoulders stiffened, and her eyes narrowed, pinning Ruby in place and making her feel uncomfortably like a rabbit caught in the eyes of a predator. Ruby fought the urge to step back and fall into a battle stance.

“Of course I’m upset! You disappeared without any warning and absolutely _no_ explanation. What else was I supposed to do?”

Huh. 

Ruby had never seen this side of Weiss before. She had always thought of Weiss as a prey animal, perhaps a dove or a fawn, but right now, she seemed very much like a wolf or a panther. Interesting. 

Ruby just wished she had been able to discover this side of Weiss some other time, preferably when she wasn’t in sight of those icy blue eyes. Maybe from the top of a sturdy tree that had lots of leaves to hide behind. Trees were safe. Unless Weiss knew how to climb. Had she seen Weiss climb a tree before? Ruby couldn’t remember. Maybe trees weren’t as safe as she thought.

When Ruby didn’t respond right away, Weiss’s nostrils flared, and she glared even more sharply. The human crossed her arms, and Ruby felt inexplicably nervous, which made absolutely no sense. Weiss wasn’t baring her fangs or raising her hands to punch or claw her. She didn’t even have a weapon. So why did Ruby suddenly feel a sense of dread rising from her gut? 

“There were intruders at the Boundary,” Ruby said, a part of her still trying to decide whether she should retreat from the fierce human before her. “I left to go deal with them.”

“Intruders?” Weiss’s voice wavered in a way Ruby didn’t like.

Ruby relaxed her shoulders and turned away slightly, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible. “Yes. Men with weapons. They said they were seeking a female thief who stole something from some lord.” She frowned. “Shnit? Ship?” Something like that.

“‘Schnee’?”

“Perhaps.” It wasn’t important. “You didn’t, did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Steal something.”

A bitter look crossed Weiss’s face. She turned away, her expression tight and her jaws clenched. She swallowed. “I took nothing that was not already mine by right. And in any case, those men weren’t referring to an object.”

That made no sense. “Then what were they referring to? What was it that they wanted?”

Weiss’s shoulders hunched, and suddenly, she seemed frail and brittle, not at all like she had been only moments before. Ruby didn’t like it. She preferred the other Weiss even if that Weiss made her want to run and hide.

“Myself. I stole myself.” Weiss’s fire died, and her voice sounded so despondent. Hopeless. Exhausted.

It bothered her. “Weiss,” Ruby said forcefully.

Weiss turned, the lantern in her hand almost guttering out in a sudden gust of wind. Not good. Ruby still hadn’t wound down fully from the fight earlier, and there was a seed of excess power running through her veins. She needed to be careful. 

“You cannot steal yourself. You are _not_ an object. You are not a thing.” They were words Ruby had said before, but this time she wanted Weiss to believe them. “And even if you were, you are safe here. They cannot touch you within my domain.”

Weiss barked out a sharp sound that might have been a laugh. “You don’t understand. My father will stop at nothing to deal with me. He can’t help himself. He thrives on control, and if something tries to break away from that control, he destroys it. I thought maybe he wouldn’t be foolish enough to send men into the Unmarked Lands, but clearly, I was wrong.”

Her entire form sagged as she let out a rush of air. “I’m so tired of this…” Her words were quiet, so quiet that Ruby suspected they hadn’t been for her ears.

As Weiss stood there clenching the lantern in her hand, Ruby found herself at a loss.

If Weiss had been anyone else—Yang, Blake, or Zwei—Ruby would have known what to do, but she didn’t know how to soothe a human. She didn’t know how to take their hurt away, and Weiss was hurting so much. Ruby could feel that hurt like shards of broken glass digging into her chest. She wanted to pry those shards away so Weiss could heal unfettered. But how?

Zwei whined softly, the sound seeming to reflect Ruby’s own helplessness. He sat at Weiss’s heels and leaned his small body against her leg. Weiss didn’t seem to notice him. She was too caught up in her own thoughts, the ones that were hurting her.

Maybe a distraction would help?

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out. She gathered up the last bit of power she had flowing within herself and sent it into the ground, searching. There. She found one. 

She shifted, purposely scuffing the earth beneath her boot to catch Weiss’s attention. When she knew Weiss was watching, Ruby got to work.

Ruby filled the tiny seed she found with magic and felt it sprout. _Grow_ , she whispered to it wordlessly, and it did.

It sprouted and sent out tiny root filaments that thickened every passing second. The sprout tunneled up through the earth until it broke through the topsoil. Then it split into several sturdy shoots as it grew taller, sprouting darkening green leaves everywhere. Protective, reddish-brown thorns erupted in varying intervals along each shoot. 

Almost there. 

Ruby poured even more magic into the growing plant, willing it to create at least one flower. Her wish was granted as the tallest stem formed its first flower bud. The bud expanded, its light green sepals peeling away to reveal several layers of beautiful white petals. A rose.

Ruby reached out and plucked the white rose. Then she drew her hand over the flower stem in her hand, and its thorns fell away. She didn’t want Weiss to get cut after all.

When she was finally finished, she held the flower out to Weiss.

Weiss stared at it with wide eyes. “What’s this?”

Ruby rubbed the back of her neck a little awkwardly. “A gift. Humans like flowers, right?” 

Or at least she was pretty sure humans liked them. They decorated everything with flowers, from clothes to furniture to handheld items. Even the dress Weiss was wearing had little flowers sewn around the cuffs of her sleeves.

Weiss slowly reached out to take the rose. She lifted it to her nose and breathed in its gentle fragrance. Her shoulders relaxed, and her expression softened. “Thank you.”

Ruby frowned inwardly. The flower had helped a little, but it wasn’t enough. Weiss still sounded so tired and weak, like a stiff gust of wind might blow her over.

“...What can I do to help?” Ruby asked.

Weiss blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

Ruby ran a hand through her hair. “You’re troubled. Upset. I don’t know how to make a human feel better. What do I do? How can I help?”

Weiss opened and closed her mouth a few times. Then she drew in a quivering breath. “If you’re truly offering…”

“I am.”

“Then just...hold still for a moment...please.”

Ruby nodded. 

Weiss deposited her lantern on the ground but kept the rose in her hand. Then she stepped up to Ruby and wrapped her arms around her, pressing her face into Ruby’s shoulder.

Ruby froze before tentatively returning the embrace. “This helps?” she asked after a few seconds.

“It does,” came a soft whisper followed by tightening arms.

Well, hugs were something Ruby knew how to do. She hugged Yang, Blake, and Zwei all the time.

Ruby relaxed and lifted one of her hands to stroke the back of Weiss’s head like she would for any one of her family members. Well, not Yang since she had those pokey spines and horns on the back of her head, but Ruby would always stroke Blake or Zwei. The other hand gently rubbed Weiss’s spine in a slow, soothing motion.

They stayed like that for a while. Eventually, Ruby felt the last of Weiss’s tension bleed away. Weiss loosened her hold and pulled away, and Ruby’s arms felt uncomfortably empty. Strange.

Weiss glanced at the dried blood on Ruby’s sleeve. “You never answered. Did my father’s men hurt you?”

“I’m the Warden,” Ruby said simply. “It’s not so easy to hurt me. This is their blood, not my own.” 

She waited, half expecting the usual fear humans had towards her when they realized she had taken the lives of one of their own.

Weiss just nodded as she held her rose in both hands. She swallowed. “I have no right to ask this. I knew my father wouldn’t give up, but still I hoped. And knowing his men were so close tonight…”

Ruby shook her head. “They were not close. They barely made it past the Boundary. And your den is far enough away that it would take them days to reach, much less find, unless they knew the exact path to travel.”

Ruby met and held Weiss’s gaze. “But I understand fear. I understand nightmares and how the darkness can hide creeping monsters. I would help you, if I could.”

Weiss’s breath escaped in a rush. “T-then will you stay the night? Please? I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

An odd feeling washed over Ruby. “You would allow me into your den?” Her place of safety and sanctuary? Weiss trusted her that much?

The query won her the ghost of a smile.

“Yes, please stay. I told you before; you’re always welcome here.”

The strange feeling stayed lodged in Ruby’s chest, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. She nodded.

“Then I will stay. I will let nothing harm you this night.” A promise. One that felt right to her.

Weiss smiled again, and this time it was a true smile. She picked up her lantern and gestured towards her den. Ruby followed her, pausing just once before crossing the threshold to give Weiss one last chance to change her mind.

Weiss rolled her eyes. “Come in, please.”

The rest of the evening was quiet. 

The white rose found a new home in an ewer Weiss pulled out from somewhere, and Ruby found it interesting that Weiss stopped by it often. She would lean down to smell it or reach out to lightly touch its petals. It seemed humans really did like flowers. Maybe Ruby should start bringing some with her when she delivered Weiss’s baskets.

Just before bedtime, Ruby stepped outside to draw some water from the well and wipe off the day’s sweat. When she returned, Weiss gave her a long shirt to wear to bed since her other clothes weren’t exactly clean.

Zwei curled up on a blanket in the corner as Ruby changed, and Weiss preoccupied herself with banking the fire.

After everything was squared away for the night, Weiss finally crawled into bed, and Ruby followed soon after. 

Ruby unthinkingly draped an arm around Weiss just like she would if she were sleeping with Blake or Zwei. Yang varied. If she was in her big form, she would wrap her wings around whoever she was cuddling. If she was in her small form, she tended to be curled up on top of someone rather next to them.

At first, Ruby thought she had made a mistake since Weiss froze in her arms. However, just as Ruby was about to pull away, Weiss laid her own arm on top of Ruby’s and scooted back. Taking the hint, Ruby pulled Weiss in close, and they nestled together, Weiss’s back against Ruby’s chest.

It felt oddly good, and Weiss’s hair was just as soft as it looked. But for some reason, Weiss didn’t seem to be falling asleep. Eventually, Ruby switched their hands so that Weiss’s was cradled beneath her own.

“Sleep,” Ruby whispered. “I promise you are safe.” 

As she did so, she added a touch of magic to her words. Will and intent were incredibly potent when it came to any sort of magic. By willing the dark thoughts and fears from Weiss’s mind, Ruby hoped she would finally be able to rest.

After a few more moments, Weiss let out a tiny sigh, and her breathing slowed. Only then did Ruby close her own eyes and drift off to sleep. She wouldn’t remember it in the morning, but her final thoughts were of white and a growing urge to safeguard it from harm.


	41. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Jealousy  
> Writer: The Great Weiss Shark

You would think after eight years together, five of which were spent in blissful matrimony, Ruby wouldn't get jealous anymore. She was confident in her relationship and in Weiss. In fact, the only time Ruby could remember even being remotely jealous was when Coco joined their friend group. It wasn’t a “she’s out to steal my girl” sort of Jealousy though, it was the “why can’t I be that cool?” kind. 

After that thought wormed it’s way into Ruby’s insecure teenage mind, she spent some time trying to be someone she wasn’t. Weiss caught on to it fast though. They didn’t get into a fight, thankfully enough, because the situation was easily fixed by Weiss simply being Weiss. She pulled Ruby aside and told her she was plenty cool, awesome, and a host of other words Ruby never thought she’d hear from her no-nonsense girlfriend. This isn’t to say they were perfect though. They had a lot of ups and downs, and times where they both thought the relationship wouldn’t last, but they always managed to pull through stronger than ever… that is until  _ she  _ entered their lives. 

Garnette Rose was only three months old, but she was already queen of the household and proving herself to be Ruby’s ultimate rival. One little peep from Garnette had Weiss running like she was on fire. Ruby couldn’t win. It was impossible. Even when they were just cuddling in bed, Weiss' mind wasn’t on her but on Garnette. It was adorable listening to Weiss gush about their baby, but Ruby wanted some attention too and maybe a little something more.

“Weiss…” Ruby whined as she snuggled against the crook of her wife’s neck, “put Garnette to bed before she falls asleep on you.”

“But she looks so peaceful,” Weiss said, looking down at the dozing baby sprawled across her chest. “It'd be a crime to move her.”

“I guess.” Ruby poked the tip of Garnette’s furry left ear and giggled when it tried to flick her away. “Still, I think she’d be more comfortable sleeping in her crib.”

“Are you insinuating something, Mrs. Rose?” Weiss asked, gently scratching Garnette’s right ear when she saw Ruby playing with the other.

“Yes, but we’re probably thinking of different things,” Ruby replied, slipping a hand under the covers to caress Weiss' inner thigh. “It’s been awhile…”

“It was two days ago,” Weiss deadpanned. 

“And it got interrupted.”

“Garnette was crying, Ruby,” Weiss said. “What did you expect me to do—just leave her there?”

“No,” Ruby frowned as she turned her back to Weiss. “Ugh, just forget it, Weiss.”

Weiss clicked her tongue and got out of bed, taking Garnette with her. When the door to their bedroom shut, Ruby curled in on herself and pulled the blanket up to her ears, hoping it would swallow her whole. When Weiss came back a few minutes laterl, she found Ruby wrapped tighter than a burrito.

“What are you doing?” Weiss laughed as she got into bed. She tugged at the blanket, but Ruby held it tight. “Ruby, talk to me. I know there’s something wrong.”

“No.”

“Ruby.”

“Don’t want to.”

“Ruby, if I wanted to cuddle up to a baby, I would have stayed with Garnette,” Weiss said. “Talk to me.”

“Can I keep the blanket on?” Ruby asked.

“You can, but I’d prefer it if you talked to me face to face.”

“I do like your face,” Ruby murmured as she reluctantly broke out of her cotton cocoon.

“There’s my girl,” Weiss chuckled as she kissed the back of Ruby’s head. Ruby turned and snuggled up against Weiss with her head tucked under Weiss' chin. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Ruby murmured, kissing Weiss' neck, “it’s just me being weird.”

“If I didn’t do something wrong, then why do I feel like I did?”

“It really isn’t your fault,” Ruby said. “I’m just being moody.”

“No, this isn’t just you being 'moody,' ” Weiss said. “There’s something more, but you’re not telling me. Is it the baby? Do you… not like her?”

“What? No!” Ruby jerked back with wide eyes, shocked that Weiss would even suggest such a thing. “I love our baby, why would you say that?”

“Wrong choice of words,” Weiss winced. 

“Mhm, major landmine,” Ruby nodded.

Weiss sighed as she kissed Ruby’s forehead and for her misstep once more. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I didn’t mean it.” 

“I know,” Ruby pouted. “I’m sorry I got so offended like that… but you do know I love her, right?”

“I do,” Weiss replied, kissing Ruby again. “So if it isn’t the baby, and it isn’t me—which I still don’t completely believe, by the way—then what is it?”

They stared at each other for a minute, neither one daring to speak in case the other spoke first. But as the seconds dragged on, Ruby accepted that it was time to fess up.

“Okay…” Ruby murmured, “it is  _ maybe _ a little bit you, but it’s still mostly me.”

“I'm listening,” Weiss said patiently, brushing the hair out of Ruby’s eyes. 

“This is going to sound really stupid,” Ruby blushed, ashamed that she was even upset about something so trivial. “I don’t like how you’re the only one taking care of our baby.”

“Excuse me, come again?” Weiss blinked.

Ruby ruffled her hair and groaned in frustration, trying desperately to drag out everything she wanted to say. “You’re always the one taking care of her!” she finally managed to blurt out after what felt like an eternity in her head. “Like at night, when she cries, you’re always out of bed first.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Weiss asked, looking exceedingly perplexed by the situation.

“Yeah, but we should be taking turns,” Ruby pouted. “You have work early in the morning and you’re usually always the one making breakfast… I guess I just feel a little left out?”

“Ruby, I'm sorry I made you feel like that,” Weiss said. “It wasn’t my intention, I just wanted you to rest.”

“Why?” Ruby asked, heartbroken. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I do!” 

“Then why?”

“Because you worked hard for eight months straight without a single break,” Weiss continued with a soft chuckle. “It’s my turn now.”

“It still isn’t fair that you’re doing all this while I just sit here,” Ruby argued, touched that Weiss cared so much about her.

“I guess I have been doing a little too much,” Weiss relented with a thoughtful expression. “What do you propose I do to fix things then?”

Ruby bit her lip and hesitantly said, “I want to start taking turns when she wakes up at night… or maybe we can go together? I don’t know…”

“That’s a good idea, we can do that,” Weiss nodded. “I'm sorry, I really just wanted you to get more sleep… you had so much trouble when you were pregnant and I couldn’t do anything to help.”

“You helped a lot,” Ruby said, cupping Weiss' cheek. “You got me everything I asked for, massaged my feet when they hurt, and so much more… you did so much for me, Weiss.”

“It doesn’t feel like I did enough—I don’t think it’ll ever be enough.”

“Why?”

“Because you gave me Garnette…” Weiss shyly looked away with an adorable blush that made Ruby fall in love all over again. “I also don’t want her to grow up the way I did…”

“Weiss, the only reason why I suggested we start a family is because I knew you’d be a good mom,” Ruby said, tilting Weiss' face back to look at her. “You are not your father or your mother… you’re better than them.”

“But what if I—”

“No,” Ruby pinched Weiss' lips shut, “none of that. You have been the most amazing mother ever. Weiss, I still haven’t changed a single diaper. If anyone's the bad mom here, it’s me—for letting you do all the work.” Weiss tried to say something but Ruby still had her fingers clamped down on her lips. “Oh, sorry.”

“Okay, nighttime wake ups and diapers are officially a shared chore. What else?” Weiss asked.

“Um… I can’t really think of anything,” Ruby smiled. “You really are amazing, Weiss.”

“Hardly,” Weiss scoffed. “You’re the one that pushed out a tiny human being. I’m still traumatized…”

“Yeah… let’s not do that again.”

“So is everything good then? No more being upset?” Weiss asked with a hopeful expression.

“I’m not upset,” Ruby corrected. “I was jealous.”

“Of me taking care of the baby?”

“No,” Ruby said, pushing Weiss to lie on her back so she could straddle her. “I was jealous because you were taking care of our baby  _ without  _ me.”

“I'm sorry,” Weiss apologized.

“It’s okay,” Ruby said, leaning forward for a kiss, “we’re going to do better.”

Weiss glanced down at Ruby’s lips and nodded. “We will. Now come here and—”

An ear-splitting wail erupted from the baby monitor on Weiss' nightstand.

“—and that’s our cue,” Weiss sighed.

“Damn it,” Ruby cursed, rolling off Weiss. 


	42. Bubbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Bubbles  
> Writer: Akiruo02

Ruby heads down the stairs and heads to the front door grabbing her running shoes and putting it on. Securing her laces she stands and taps her shoes on the floor. 

“Yang!” she calls out. “I’m heading out now”   


“Okay! Be careful alright”  
  
“Always am!”  
  
Ruby heads out the door and starts walking. Her afternoon jog has a fairly short route compared to her morning run. It starts with a short walk to the convenience store and then she starts running. A turn by the third block, say hi to Mrs. J and her daughters playing in their yard.

“Hi Mrs. J!” Ruby calls out as she runs past them

“Ruby!” Mrs. J’s daughters called out waving at her.

Ruby smiles and waves back. She runs past the Charrot, turns to a corner and stops for a bit and waits for some ‘diorite’ to fall. Looking up she smirks at the pesky bird sitting on top of an electrical cable, the bird glares at her.

“Not today Allan” she says as she continues running. Crossing the road to the Taste of Haven, she spots Ren and Nora talking inside and waves at them to which Nora waves back and Ren gives her a small nod. Running past one of Sahara’s warehouses and straight to the park.

Reaching the park she slows to a stop and stretches. The place is lively, with some joggers running past her, kids running around and playing with each other, a couple of mothers with strollers walking their kids and friends hanging out having an afternoon picnic.

Finishing her stretches, she starts walking around the park. Seeing kids play in sandboxes and swings, playing tag and just having fun. She continues to walk until something catches her eye. She stops and looks at the bubble floating near a child before it pops making the child giggle as she runs to where the bubble possibly came from.

Curious, Ruby follows her quietly and soon enough she hears numerous giggles and laughter, but what stood out to her was the scent of apples in the air. Similar to the ones she often smells at school. So focus on the scent Ruby doesn’t notice the bubble floating in front of her until it hits her nose and pops in front of her.

Ruby flinches, she looks around and spots more of the bubbles and the scent of apples getting stronger. Taking a few more steps before she stops and looks at the source of the bubbles and possibly the scent as well.

Gorgeous white hair tied in a side ponytail, bright blue eyes full of joy and an infectious laugh, Ruby was staring straight at Weiss Schnee, one of the school up-tight students. Well, that's what the rumors say. Ruby’s never actually talked to her after all, looking at her right now, those things must be nothing but rumors. She doesn’t look like any of those. Weiss is laughing and smiling at these little kids, playing with them as she blows bubbles. Bubbles that vary in size. Bubbles that are fragile and yet so alive. Bubbles that give so much positive energy. Bubbles, now that Ruby thinks about it, smells of apples.

Unconsciously, Ruby approaches Weiss as the kids chase after the new batch of bubbles floating around the area. She stops right before she reaches Weiss, but it was too late. Weiss had noticed her and had turned to her. Those blue eyes looking at her asking what she is doing and why is she there. But all Ruby could think of was how beautiful she looked. The scar runs down her left eye and ends on her upper cheek giving a distinctive figure to her face that Ruby just loves.

“May I help you?”

Ruby blinks and shakes her head. “Ahh Sorry.” she apologizes. “I mean, Hi.” She doesn't know why she said that, but her guts are telling her that that “Hi” just now, could become something else in the future.

Weiss frowns at her. “What do you want?” she asks in a very strict and demanding voice Ruby has ever heard.

Ruby rubs her head as the last few bubbles start to pop. Okay, maybe her guts could be wrong.


	43. Bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Fighting Rabbits  
> Prompt: Bunny  
> Writer: Winter1112

"Cinder!" Weiss calls out as she jogs to catch up to the fennec fox faunus, whose nose is buried in her scroll like always.

Looking up, the other woman smiles as she stops to let the wolf faunus catch up more easily. "Hey Wolfette, what's up?"

"You've known Ruby since kindergarten, right?" She asks once she catches her breath.

"Mhmm. Why are you asking? Is that jerk Cardin making fun of her again?!" The dust mage growls angrily as she turns to leave, only to be caught by Weiss.

"No! I want to know why Ruby and Velvet refuse to get along." She asks calmly as she releases her arm.

"Oh." Cinder suddenly looks and smells nervous as her eyes look around. "I don't really like talking about it."

"First Neo, now you?" She looks into Cinder's eyes. "I want to know what happened, before I decide to go to the sources."

"DON'T DO THAT!" Cinder shrieks as she all but tackles the wolf faunus down. "Anything but that!"

"Hey!" Weiss protests as Cinder bodily picks her up and starts carrying her towards the dorms. "Let me go you dolt!"

"Nope. You're threatening the safety of every living being at Beacon if you get those two fighting." Cinder replies calmly as she slings Weiss over a shoulder as she keeps walking. "Signal could barely handle their last brawl, and there's still a few classrooms that are condemned."

"I declare shenanigans!" Weiss states calmly, despite having an awkward view of Cinder's tail. "And what kind of conditioner do you use? I can't get the fur on my tail to look this good."

"I use a combination." She replies as she sets the heiress down in front of the blue dorm doors. "Come on in. I know your new girlfriend hasn't told you everything about herself, and Coco has to keep Miss hippity hop closet psycho on a leash."

Weiss doesn't move, but instead folds her arms defiantly and glares at Cinder instead. "How do you know Velvet so well then Cinder?"

The fox faunus sighs. "She's my older half sister." She admits quietly. "We have the same dad, but her mom died during childbirth. It's why Ruby and I bonded so well."

"Oh." Weiss looks away with shame. "So like her and that ridiculous brute of a sister of her's."

"Yeah. Come on, cause it's a really weird story that involves a power Ruby hasn't shown off yet, a field trip to a farm, and a really mean chicken that apparently hated bunnies." Cinder informs her as she swipes her scroll across the datapad on the door, unlocking it.

"A chicken?" Weiss asks curiously as her stomach rumbles a bit.

"Seriously, you skip the unknown power part to ask about the chicken?" The fennec asks with a smirk as they move towards the dorm elevators. 

"I skipped lunch. I needed to do more studying for Professor Oobleck's class." She admits as she removes her uniform jacket. "I'm not doing very well."

"No one does. It's why Velvet's repeating first year history." Cinder agrees as she too removes her jacket and undoes her necktie. "And you constantly surprise me, Schnee. I never expected you to be quite so laid back."

The wolf girl shrugs. "My twin sister's bad habits may have rubbed off on me a bit."

"Uh huh." The other woman smirks as the doors open for the fourth floor. "Come on, the rest of my team is out right now. Merc's definitely failing Oobleck, so is Emmy, and Neo's convinced Willow hung the moon and stars."

Weiss giggles as she follows Cinder to her dorm room. "I think she fell for Willow faster than I fell for Ruby."

"I think so too." She agrees with a smile. "But that's good. Neo's always been pretty lonely, and finding someone patient enough to deal with her disability is a good thing. But!" The fox girl looks at the wolf girl seriously. "If Willow hurts her…"

"Go threaten the dolt yourself. I'm not her, despite being her twin." Weiss growls in return.

"Oh I will." The darker haired girl nods as she opens her dorm room door. Turning around, she blinks. "Uhhhh."

"Hiya Weiss!" Ruby declares excitedly as she glomps the heiress who's heart she won during what is now referred to school wide as The Neptune Incident. 

"Hello Ruby!" She giggles as she catches the reaper and hugs her. "I missed you at breakfast!"

"Had to go do some extra credit for Professor Peach." She replies as she clings to the wolf faunus girl. "What's up? Hanging out with my bestie?"

"Actually, I was asking her something important." Weiss replies calmly as she stays in the rabbit faunus's arms. "Something I was told not to ask you about."

Ruby's face becomes a mask, her ears standing straight up in the air and a growl emerging from her throat. "Her…"

"Easy, Ruby! We don't want to do anything stupid, do we?" Cinder begs as she glares at Weiss, who shrugs unapologetically.

"I'm gonna ACK! OWIE OWIE OWIE OWIE! LEGGO MY EAR!" The Reaper shrieks as Weiss grabs one of her sensitive ears to keep her from running off.

"No." The heiress replies calmly as she gives it a tug. "Not until you calm down and tell me why our team and team CFVY have to walk on eggshells around each other." She adds as she gives it another tug. 

"AHHHHHHH! LEGGO! PLEASE LEGGO!"

"Do I get to hear the truth?"

"YES! PLEASE LEGGO! THIS HURTS!"

"Come along then, my dolt. Let's sit in Cinny's dorm for now. I would like to avoid the Brute and that obnoxious cat." Weiss begins to move through the doorway, Ruby's ear still held securely between her thumb and forefinger.

Ruby can only sob as she follows, while Cinder wisely stays out of it, her own overly large ears being just as easy of a target to the cruel, merciless wolf faunus.

"Hold up!" Coco Adel calls out as she approaches, Velvet being dragged behind her and shrieking in pain from her own ear being used as a leash. "I think it's time to end this stupid fued before Beacon gets trashed too."

inks as the other heiress of Beacon drags Ruby's mortal enemy for life into her dorm room, and reaches for a brown paper bag she keeps handy. She can already feel her panic attack starting, and she desperately needs the comfort of the small bag as she hyperventilates.

Coco and Weiss ignore her as they each sit their beloved rabbit faunuses down on opposite sides of the room.

"Now, what in the ten hells happened to make the two of you hate each other so much?" Coco asks as she loosens her grip on Velvet's chocolate brown ear, the normally shy and demure girl glaring hatefully at the Reaper, who is glaring back.

"It was Ruby's fault!" She cries out as she points. "She pissed that stupid chicken off, and it tried to kill us!"

"Me?! You're the one that said we needed to free all the animals! How was I supposed to know that stupid chicken was gonna attack us?!" Ruby counters as Weiss releases her ear, but takes a firm hold of her ever present red cloak with both hands.

Cinder is sitting in a corner hyperventilating into the brown bag, a look of terror in her eyes.

"Ok, whoa! Both of you!" Coco roars to silence them both.

"Why not start at the beginning?" Weiss asks calmly, while tugging warningly on the cloak. "And without yelling."

"Fine!" Ruby declares as she pouts. "It all started when we were in first grade. We went on a field trip to a farm on the outskirts of the south gates."

Velvet nods in agreement. "Ruby and I, we made a pact to never eat meat again during kindergarten, after we found out what bacon was made out of."

"Baby pigs are so cute!" Ruby squeals in delight.

"Focus, Ruby." Weiss calls out.

Coco holds up a hand. "Wait, you two used to be friends?"

Velvet nods. "I used to be best friends with Ruby, Cinny, and Neo." She admits quietly. "Until the chicken incident. I'm still friends with Neo, but Cinny sided with Ruby in the end."

"Cause you tried to kill me in fourth grade!" Cinder screams at her from her corner. "All over a stupid Stompy the Rhinox eraser!"

"It was my eraser! You and Ruby stole it!" The chocolate rabbit faunus screams back.

"ENOUGH!" Weiss yells. "Tell the damned story!"

"Ok, ok! Jeez!" Ruby grumbles. "Like I said, it started in first grade…"

* * *

"Velvet, I don't think this is a good idea." A five year old Ruby whispers to the seven year old girl. "What if the farmer catches us?"

"Relax, Ruby." She whispers back as her ears swivel. "My mommy and daddy aren't looking for me yet, so your grandma won't be looking for you either."

"Okie dokie." She replies softly as she darts around a corner, her own ears swiveling as she sniffs the air. "Pew! It stinks in here!"

"Shhhh! You're being too loud!" Velvet hisses as they reach a horse stall. "Come help me get this open!"

"Okie okie, keep your ears on!" The younger girl grumbles as she scrambles up the rails and pulls the pin to the gate. With an umph, she kicks the door open while grinning happily. "You're free Mr. Horse! Go, be free!"

"Uhhh, he isn't moving." The older girl points out as she stands there watching the horse, who is just staring back at her

"Maybe he's tired?" Ruby offers as she rejoins the other rabbit faunus girl. 

"Yeah, that's it. He'll run away when he's ready." Velvet nods in satisfaction. "Come on, we got a lot more to do."

"Okie dokie! Right behind you!" The little reaper cheers.

Both girls spent the next few hours moving swiftly through the farm "freeing" all the livestock they could find. Cows began to roam the stalls, pigs oinked as they searched for food in the trash bins, and the ducks from the enclosed pond went everywhere! Even the horses finally started to mill about as the two girls reached the chicken enclosure unchallenged.

"This is it, last ones!" Velvet declares proudly. "Help me find a latch."

"Wait, why is this one chicken all by herself?" Ruby asks as she stares at it with big, innocent eyes.

"I dunno. Maybe it's bad?" The older girl points out as she continues searching for the latch to the enclosure.

"No one's born bad, Velvet!" Ruby replies as she looks for the latch to the smaller enclosure.

Neither girl notices Elizabeth Rose, the current matriarch of the Rose family slide to a stop in a whirl of scarlet red rose petals. Looking around, the rabbit faunus and experienced huntress spots the two girls and gasps as she spots the sole chicken in its enclosure, a sign above it warning of mortal danger. Looking back down, she realizes why as she spots the white bone armor and red eyes of grimmification.

"DON'T OPEN THAT!" She roars as she pulls her greataxe Damnation from her back and charges forward.

But Elizabeth forgot in her haste that Ruby hasn't been taught to sublimate her flight instincts yet, the older woman and her daughter both hoping that Ruby would choose a different path in life than that of a huntress. She watches as her granddaughter accidentally pulls the pin of the enclosure in her own haste to flee from her charging grandmother, the door opening as the Grimm chicken clucks in triumph.

Then there is blood, screaming, and feathers everywhere…

* * *

"Oh sweet goddess." Weiss breathes out as both rabbit women look at the floor.

Coco has her scroll up, a look of intense focus on her face. "Here it is. The McDougall Farm disaster." She declares as she turns her scroll around to allow Weiss to see for herself. "A Grimm chicken got loose and killed all sorts of livestock, badly injured two senior huntsmen, and chased a rabbit faunus girl for almost ten miles."

Weiss nods. "So who did she chase?"

Velvet snorts. "She chased Ruby after the little bitch knocked me down!"

"I did not!" Ruby screams back as she tries to stand and fails due to Weiss's firm grip on her precious cloak. "You tripped over your own two feet!"

"Liar! You knocked me down as bait!"

"I was nowhere near you when you fell, you clumsy bitch!"

Cinder has returned to hyperventilating into a paper bag as she looks at them both in a panic.

"Hey! Settle down!" Coco roars as Weiss tries to get a better grip on Ruby's cloak. But it's far too late for that or Coco grabbing at Velvet's collar to stop the fighting rabbits as they charge at each other, fists cocked back and both of them ready to strike.

All Weiss, Coco, and Cinder can agree on later on while Glynda is kept busy for several days repairing the damage to the blue dorm is that the both struck almost simultaneously, Velvet snarling as she hit the Reaper's face with a copy of Ember, Ruby's fist wreathed in brilliant silver light as she slams it into the other faunus girl's chest. Of course, then Ruby had to explain where that silver light comes from to Weiss, while both rabbit faunus girls had detention to the end of the year.

And through it all, a Grimm chicken watches and waits for its chance to strike…


	44. Camera

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Camera  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse

"Ruby, hold it

gentle

steady."

Like you hold me

with careful compassion.

"It's fragile."

I caught you ogling

through the viewfinder.

"Find a better subject."

"I can't."

_ Click. _

The shot is out of focus

the frame is all wrong

the lighting is harsh.

"I hate to say it, but you're better with your lips than you are with a camera.”

She proved me right.


	45. Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Eyes of Quicksilver, Eyes of Sky Blue  
> Prompt: Eyes  
> Writer: Winter1112

_ The eyes are the window to the soul. _

_ Twin flames can recognize the other half of themselves by looking into the eyes of each other. Even their voices are similar and are familiar to each other's ears. _

_ -The Minds Journal- _

Weiss Schnee is currently cursing the fact that she is a wolf faunus. The twenty one year old Atlesian specialist, freshly graduated from Atlas Academy and assigned to her older sister's command, was on patrol one particularly frigid winter's night near the outskirts of the White Palace. She had been chosen due to her faunus heritage's ability to see perfectly in the dark, as well as her unnatural ability to endure the bitter cold winds that night.

The White Fang's Red Reaper had made a threat against Jacques Schnee, and the military was taking it seriously.

They all had heard of the loss of the mines in Vacuo. How the Red Reaper of Vale had killed every guard and seen every last slave freed with her own two hands. They had seen the pictures of the dead guard's heads placed on spikes surrounding the blown out fencing, and had read the reports that the mines themselves would be costly to reopen.

Jacques Schnee's rage had been great indeed when he heard that the animals had ruined another mine. Weiss is still nursing the bruised ribs of that particular encounter with the volatile businessman, but better her then her mother or Whitley. Her twin sister was still missing after speaking out against him several years ago, and she still feared the worse.

For her mother and brother, she will weather the storm that is her thrice cursed human father.

But a sudden flash of silver from the nearby shadows catches her attention, prompting her to draw Myrtenaster quickly. Looking about, her eyes are alert and looking about for the slightest of movement, all her ears are listening carefully for the slightest of sounds, and her nose already sniffing for any clue at all as to the source of the sudden bright light. 

"It figures. The coward sent his own faunus daughter to protect him." A voice filled with scorn and contempt declares quietly. "How low will he sink?"

Whirling around, a glyph meant to enhance her speed already appearing under feet, Weiss only stops because she spies eyes of brilliant quicksilver staring back at her. Eyes she could not help to stare into, losing herself within them so surely, so completely, that she lies defenseless before the owner of those mysteriously gorgeous orbs. Those same eyes weren't full of anger or hate, but determination and sorrow. 

"Who are you?" She whispers as her glyph returns to the nothingness that she summoned it forth from while she herself walks forward slowly while sheathing her rapier.

"Don't you remember me, Weiss?" The voice asks as the look of sorrow deepens, those quicksilver eyes she is quickly becoming addicted to threatening to drown her in the tears forming within them. "Once upon a dream, we laid amongst the flowers upon a meadow and looked upon clouds made of the purists of whites against an endless field of blue. We danced to the songs of the cardinals and bluejays and adorned each other's brows with crowns of sunflowers and daffodils, while adorning our fingers with rings of gold."

Vague, nonsensical memories struggle against the conditioning beaten into her at Atlas, the militaristic nation having long come to the conclusion that individuality is a mortal sin for its soldiers. So they crush every speck of a person's identity, defile even the most cherished of memories, and ruthlessly devour even the most priceless and hope filled dreams.

Weiss had been crushed despite all her best efforts to retain even a small scrap of herself, turned into a hardened machine of war. Her ruination and subsequent conversion had been especially bitter to her older sister, who prayed she would never be forced to follow in her footsteps. She prayed that at least Weiss, the songstress of the family would escape the clutches of fate, but it was never meant to be.

Winter could never bring herself to admit to her sister that she had been free once upon a time. But due to the machinations of their father, she had been returned to Atlas under duress. She was forbidden to speak of it, to reveal the harsh truth to her younger sibling both by her leader as well as her hated Father.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot recall meeting a woman with such bewitching eyes as yourself." She finally responds as she struggles and fails to break free of the siren's song of those eyes, as well as the beautifully perfect pitch of her voice. 

"No." The dam threatens to burst upon those silver eyes as a pair of pale white hands travel to and cover a pair of lips the color of freshly picked strawberries. Weiss cannot help but notice the calluses upon the palms, the scars of many a brawl upon the knuckles, and the perfect movement of muscle and sinew underneath that perfectly porcelain skin. "This cannot be! Long have I struggled! Long have I worked towards creating a world of tolerance and equality for you, my precious songbird!"

"Forgive me, but I do not know what it could be you speak of. I am no songbird, but a soldier. A proud specialist of Atlas ever vigilant for the enemies of my nation and my honored Father." Weiss replies briskly as she still struggles mentally to free herself. As she struggles to maintain her discipline against those silver eyes full of tears and a sorrow so deep it threatens to drown them both.

"Weiss please! Do not force me upon my hands and knees to beg you to remember our love!" The woman cries out as she leaves the anonymity of the shadows to take the white hair girl's hands within her own. "I would prostrate myself gladly upon the very ground of this filthy alleyway just to see even the remotest glimmer of recognition in those sky blue orbs I have dreamed of gazing into once more!"

The wolf faunus stares at the other woman, marveling at her superior height, voluptuous figure, long flowing reddish black hair, and her impressive outfit reminiscent of the huntsmen and huntresses of other, lesser nations. But what catches the former heiress's attention the most is the footlong delicate looking rabbit's ears upon her head. The twin appendages that are laying flat upon her reddish black hair as if physically manifesting the sorrow within those quicksilver eyes.

"Forgive me, but I do not know you, maiden." She replies politely, even as she does not struggle against the other woman's strong, weapon calloused hands, her eyes focused totally upon quicksilver orbs which now weep freely. 

"What have they done to you, my most precious songbird? How can you not remember that sole year of bliss we shared at Beacon Academy? Have you truly forgotten me and Blake both, even Yang?" She questions her with a tone of desperation upon her tone of voice.

"Never have I journeyed to this Beacon Academy you speak of." The wolf faunus answers, even as her sense of smell recalls the scents of strawberries, cookies, hot chocolate, and coffee. Her sense of touch remembers the feeling of pencils and pens held within her delicate fingers, as her sense of hearing remembers the lessons taught by a long winded elder huntsman, of a swiftly speaking doctor of history, of an eagle feathered beauty who spoke of how best to survive within the wilds of…

The wilds of Vale...

But her Father has driven home the fact that she has never once left the comforts of the White Palace on more than one occasion. That she was being punished for her failure to achieve the astoundingly difficult expectations he had for her. That for her own sins of being born inadequate, of daring to sully his noble blood by daring to be born a filthy faunus, she is to be given over for conscription. To be used as the disgusting beast that she is for a purpose she can be broken and put to better use for.

"I…" The woman mumbles as her struggling lessens, as her buried memories as well as her very soul struggle to regain their freedom from all the horrors that had been inflicted upon her. "I… but…"

"Have you forgotten the child I bore you upon the eve of spring? A child we named after my own mother, and who shares the same sky blue orbs as you?"

She blinks as within the deepest recesses of her mind a memory begins to cry out to her, begging her to accept not just the words she has begun to accept as some form of truth, but the memories as well. Yet, her conditioning still struggles to keep a stranglehold upon her mind, even as she feels the hands upon hers tighten as she shakes her head in forced denial. "I would remember a child! How dare you imply that I would so willingly sacrifice such a thing for the honor of serving my nation and my Father!" She shrieks even as a sound comes to her ears, despite it not coming from any source save her own memories.

It is the sound of a newborn's cries

"Please my beautiful songbird, try to remember. I begged for this one chance to save you from what your father and this horrible nation has done to you and our people. The Khan granted me this one sole chance to bring you back to our side, to return you to the ones that truly love you and care for you. To return you to the daughter who needs her other mother in order to be raised whole of family." The silver eyed rabbit pleads as she holds the white wolf's hands continue to hold her own in a firm, yet gentle grip. 

Weiss stops her struggling to look at the other woman, her normally orderly and highly intellectual mind in a state of disorder that could rival even the chaos of one of the many food fights that erupted between her mischievous and pregnant Ruby and Nora Valkyrie….

What on Remnant….

"I can see it within those sky blue orbs I fell in love with that very first day at Beacon, my beautiful songbird. I see the memories they forcibly hid within you straining to free themselves." The taller woman smiles as the first rays of hope fill those quicksilver orbs, along with a faint light. 

"Weiss, return to us, please?" A panther faunus begs quietly as she emerges from the shadows, her molten gold orbs shining softly despite the darkness of the alleyway they find themselves in. "We've searched for you for three long years, my best and truest friend. We're here to bring you home."

A tall muscular blonde emerges next, lilac eyes full of concern for the equally tall rabbit faunus beside her. "Ruby, we must leave. The Black Snow is descending upon the White Palace. She seeks vengeance for the harms committed against her and your beloved, our sister in arms."

"Weiss, come away with us, with me. Return with us to the halls which welcomed us, which we turned into a true home alongside our sisters in arms and friends." Ruby begs as the sounds of warning sirens fill the nighttime air. "Come home to the child we created with our love for one another."

"I…" The white wolf's mind is a blur with thoughts, emotions, feelings, and memories. Especially the memories that are fighting a valiant battle to return to her.

"We must go." The panther declares as she looks at the others. "Bring her. Let her see the truth of your words, Ruby."

The blonde nods, her wild mane of hair seemingly beginning to smolder as voices can be heard, no doubt the troops emerging from the nearby garrison giving her cause for concern. "The Khan has told us all that we have labored long enough, sister. It is time for us to return home. To Vale where we belong."

Ruby nods as she looks at Weiss, her eyes full of hope and love. "Please, my songstress? Come and look upon our child if nothing else."

She can no longer struggle against those pools of quicksilver. She can feel her hardened heart softening towards the rabbit faunus even as nods in acquiescence. "Very well. I shall return with you this night, Ruby. I shall take your words as the truth for now until I decide once and for all what is truth and what is fiction."

"You there! Stop!" A soldier calls out as more appear behind him, all of them girded for battle.

"Take Weiss and go, Blake." Ruby orders as she takes a white mask from under her cloak and affixes it to her face as her ears rise in challenge. "They shall not touch my songstress again with their filthy, unworthy hands."

"Ruby, no! They are too many, and your injuries have barely had time to mend!" The panther yells as she wraps her arms around the white wolf's middle.

"Blake is correct, sister!" Yang calls out even as a pair of armored gauntlets manifest themselves around her forearms. "You will not face these bastards alone!"

"You would die with me, Yang? Knowing Blake carries your child?" The now revealed Red Reaper of Vale asks quietly, a scythe as black as night in her hands. "You would seek the embrace of the Pale Rider alongside me?"

"We are sisters, Ruby. You need not even ask." The blonde declares as she makes ready. "Go my beloved. Raise our child in the world Ruby and I shall finish ushering in with our sacrifice. A world that will see you and our daughter's people finally freed of the past, and that she and our niece can walk hand in hand together towards a greater future."

Blake nods. "She will know of you, my Golden Dragon of Patch! She will be raised knowing the honorable sacrifice you and Ruby both make this night!" She calls back as she pulls a now struggling Weiss into the shadows.

"Ruby!" Weiss screams as the dam withholding her memories bursts, even her heart and soul screaming for the rabbit faunus who is moving to shield her away from those that will rip them apart once more. "Ruby no! Do not do this, my gentle rabbit! This is not you! Do not sully your hands any further!" She begs as she reaches out to the love of her life, the first one to ever breach her thick walls of ice to love the frightened woman behind them.

"I see, my precious songbird." Ruby smiles fondly as the light of remembrance fills the sky blue orbs she has longed to gaze into once more. "Live for me. Raise Summer well. Tonight, I finish what I began three long years ago." She turns away and towards the now rushing soldiers, their weapons raised and promising the Reaper's demise. "Tonight, my task reaches its zenith, and once completed, myself as well as my honored mother's scythe will be needed no more."

"For tonight, Jacques Schnee and the Atlesian military will pay in blood for taking my songstress from me."

The Red Reaper of Vale and the Golden Dragon of Patch waste no more words as they willingly throw themselves into the fray, all while the fallen White Princess of Atlas and the Blackest Shadow of Menagerie flee into the night itself...


	46. Knight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Knight  
> Author: gaymerkree  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree

Being a knight had such a romantic connotation attached to it. Saving princesses, traveling around the kingdom, slaying dragons, the bard songs always called to Ruby in a way nothing else could. However, being a knight meant many things that bards didn’t sing about, and being the first born on her mother’s side meant knighthood was out of her reach. She could dream though. She’d have fantastic sword fights with her uncle, or Blake, while the former assassin was visiting with her older sister. Her skills grew and grew over the years, and she even trained knights herself when the need arose. 

The regent of their small island nation, her step-mother, and her sister’s mother, Raven, was the biggest  opposition  against her knightly dreams. A former knight herself, she was disgusted with royalty, but had respected Ruby’s mother’s wishes when she died. There had been a whole to-do about it, and several speeches that had left Ruby feeling less and less like a  _ princess _ , and more like a prisoner.

* * *

_ “Ruby.” Raven’s stern tone tore through the playful energy of the sword fight she was having with her uncle. “I’d be remiss if I allowed you to pursue this foolish goal.” Blood red eyes flickered from Ruby to her uncle Qrow and back. “It’s best if you let it  _ **_go_ ** _.” _

* * *

In the passing years Ruby made sure that Raven knew her intentions, she would become queen, like her mother was before her, and her sword fighting was a hobby, and nothing more. She could still dream though, of the valiant deeds she’d complete, where she able to follow her dreams. The silver eyed princess was already the ruler her mother would have wanted. Her people were loyal, proud, and loved her, as she did them. 

On the night before Ruby’s eighteenth birthday she was summoned to the throne room,where Raven pointedly refused to sit on the throne. “Ruby,” Her tone seemed softer, but not by much. Raven was never gentle, nothing about her was. “Tomorrow you’ll take the throne, and I will return to my people.” She stood slowly, settling her stern gaze on Ruby, and the princess shivered. “I’ve contacted the kingdom of Atlas.” The statement caught Ruby off guard. Atlas had been their enemies for so long, but when their king died, and Queen Winter took over, Raven took a trip to the kingdom to draft a truce. “Per our truce they will be sending one of their strongest knights to be part of your royal guard.”

“Wait! What?” Ruby gaped at her step-mother, hands shaking at her sides. “Don’t _I_ get to choose my royal guard?” It was one of the only things she could control about her situation, and Raven had just _taken_ _it away._ “I don’t want some Atlesian knight, I want Penny! And Oscar!”

“And you’ll get them both, but you’ll also get Weiss.” The name struck Ruby in her chest. There was something so powerful about it, but she couldn’t figure out why. “She’ll be here in the morning, before your coronation."

* * *

The next morning comes like a whirlwind. Ruby is dressed and into the celebrations too fast for her to fully wake up, so when the trumpets sound at the arrival of the Atlesian she nearly jumps. Raven is at her side instantly, followed by Penny and Oscar, both looking confused but prepared. She takes a moment to go over her outfit for the day, dark slacks, and her usual flowing white top, with a matching adr vest. Around her chest is her favorite cape, secured at one shoulder to cascade down her back , and end at the back of her knees at an angle. They march to the front gates where a glistening silver knight approaches on a valiant steed, and Ruby feels her breath catch. She’s seen the Atlesian knight armor before, but this armor was  _ different _ . 

The glittering silver armor is normal, but only covers her arms and legs, while her chest is draped in a deep red fabric that flows down like the train of a dress on one side. The fabric reaches over her left shoulder, and her right shoulder  pauldron is crafted in the head of a silver raven who’s wing stretches out across her chest to connect to the left pauldron. At her left hip is a brilliant silver shield with the crest of the Atlesian royal family. At her back is a brilliant mage staff, capped with a flawless ruby, and at the pommel is a brilliant blade. Everything about the armor exuded atlas, except for the vibrant  _ red _ , and when the knight gets closer Ruby feels her breath hitch. 

Weiss is  _ beautiful _ . Everything about her captures all of Ruby’s attention, her elegant armor, her long silvery white hair, the ever so slight scar over her left eye,  _ everything _ , and it makes her legs weak. From atop her sattle the radiant knight drops to the ground a few feet from Ruby, stoic and stern. Ruby realizes she’s taller than the knight, but only by an inch or two, and finds herself smiling. 

“My Queen.” Weiss’ voice is coated in the Atlesian accent, but Ruby finds herself liking it more than any other time she’s heard it. “Well met”

“Well met, sir knight.” Ruby bows at her waist, hand pressed loosely at her chest. When she rises there’s confusion in the knight’s eyes, and she responds with an equally low bow, but doesn’t know what to do with her hand, so she leaves them at her sides. “Thank you for making the trek, I hope your trip was without event.”

“As much as can be expected.” With a careful glance, Weiss looks around the small celebration at the gates to the castle proper. “Your kingdom is filled with kind hearts my queen, you should be proud.”

Pride swells in Ruby’s chest and she grins bright and honest. “It’s everything I could have asked for.”

The celebration goes mostly, as expected after that. Weiss follows Ruby silently, doing her knightly duties, and Oscar and Penny don’t stray too far behind. When Ruby’s crowned before sunset Weiss falls to a knee in salute, and Ruby feels a chill travel through her at the sight. Penny is the first to scurry to Weiss and tug her up off the ground. She whispers a quick explanation, and pink faced Weiss salutes with a deep bow.

* * *

Raven leaves the next morning, and with her gone Yang spends more time at the castle, content to lounge around Ruby’s throne room with Blake in tow. The days go by easy and relatively stress free. Patch was well connected, with Vale to the west and Atlas to the north, they wanted for nothing. 

The stoic Atlesian knight had taken some time to get used to. Weiss was obviously stuck in her ways, but over the first few months of Ruby’s rule she’d gotten the basics down. No longer did she follow Ruby like a shadow, more content to occupy the same room with the monarch. It had taken an up close and personal training session to fully trust that Ruby knew her way around a fight. Weiss  _ had  _ won, but only because she cheated with magic.

The silver eyed ruler had become quite fond of her knight, stoic and unwavering as she was. Ruby would often poke fun at the woman, leaving Weiss flustered and stammering.

* * *

When the sun rises on the two year anniversary of her coronation, Ruby surprises Weiss outside her bedroom. The normally stern knight nearly screams, but when Ruby holds out a small gift it brings a flush to her cheeks. “It’s  _ your  _ coronation date, my queen.” She’s confused and that makes the monarch smile brighter.

“But it’s also the anniversary of the day I met you! And you’re like one of my best friends.” Ruby grins sheepishly, holding the gift outward for the shorter woman.

Cautiously, Weiss takes the present and shifts it between both hands, it’s not particularly heavy, but it does have a little weight to it. She glances one last time towards her grinning queen and opens it. Inside is a beautifully bound book with ornate gold leafing at the edges. There’s no title, but on the inside cover in the same gold leafing there’s a message;

_ Weiss, _

_ When I heard you were going to be one of my knights I was really mad, but these last two years have been so great! Getting to know you and having you by my side has been one of the most enjoyable adventures of my life. I hope we have many more years to come! _

_ Your Queen, _ _   
_ _ Ruby _

Blue eyes flicker back and forth over the text three or four times before Ruby laughed nervously. “It’s a book of heroes from Atlas and Vale, there are even some from Patch.” Her voice is soft as a light flush rises to her cheeks. “You’re always reading, and you wanted to know more about our histories, so-”

“I love it!” The knight’s eyes shimmer in the early morning light, and Ruby feels something in her chest stutter.

* * *

The next few months become some of the most difficult for Ruby. The sudden stutter in her chest when Weiss does something as simple as smile in her direction doesn’t let up, in fact it only gets worse. If Weiss is nearby Ruby is prone to being more clumsy than normal, even stumbling into the now, much less stoic knight on occasion. 

Oscar is the first to notice. Ruby stumbles into Weiss with a _ very  _ elegant squawk, her collarbone bumping into Weiss’ forehead as the shorter woman holds her upright. “Really my lady, you must be more careful.” The knight chides softly, straightening Ruby’s tunik with a small smile. 

“S-sorry Weiss!” 

The younger boy watches the way Ruby flushes, and moves out of Weiss’ reach, and the way Weiss seems to miss the contact but keeps quiet. 

Penny realizes much later, but the fact that she notices at all is enough to prove how obvious the two are with their feelings. 

Weiss is much less obvious in her affections, careful words and light touches that make Ruby stamer and flush. She drifts a little closer to the monarch, careful not to crowd, but close enough to be involved. More often than not Ruby ushers her knight closer, cautious but excited for the close proximity.

* * *

They take to joining arms while walking in the halls. It starts with a playful joke from Ruby, something said without thinking, but her cheeks darken. Weiss looks like she thinks little of the joke, but joins their arms together without thinking from there on out. 

Other small acts between the two of them draw eyes from not only Oscar and Penny, but Yang, Blake, and several members of the castle staff. The cooks send double portions of Ruby’s meals on the days Weiss escorts the food up, allowing for them to share. The cleaning staff avoid either’s bedroom if they hear their voices within.

Lower guards tease the white haired knight when they catch her smiling fondly at the gold emblem added to her signature silver armor, or when she seems to become distracted by the monarch walking the grounds.

* * *

When a stern knock interrupts Ruby’s normal morning routine she expects it to be Weiss, but Oscar stands beside Penny both looking uncomfortable and  _ stern _ .

“My queen!” Oscar shouts bowing low, and Penny laughs nudging him forward. 

“Can we have a word, your highness?” Ruby nods slowly, stepping back to allow her knights inside. 

“What’s this about?”

“Weiss!” Oscar blurts again, flushing when Ruby frowns.

“Did something happen? Is she okay?” Panic rises in worried silver eyes and Penny tries to calm her frantic queen.

“No my queen, but that may be the issue.”

“What do you mean?” Ruby looks from Penny to Oscar and back, her shoulders tensed with worry. 

“You and Weiss have been dancing around this issue for a while now, when are you going to make things official?” Penny’s smile is soft and playful, like she knows the punchline to a joke that hasn’t been asked yet. 

“What!?” Both knights exchange a look before laughing at Ruby’s flushed face, nearly the color of her tunik. 

“You know your highness.” Oscar elbows the queen playfully, “When are you going to pop the question?” 

Both knights howl with laughter as Ruby stammers, flushed from head to toe. There’s a light knock at her door and Weiss doesn’t wait to enter, letting a look of confusion pass across her face as she looks from the knights to Ruby. 

“My lady?” She looks like she plans to leave, but Ruby steps forward with a soft smile.

“Ah, Weiss. Just who I was waiting for.” She carefully loops her arm into Weiss’ and smiles down at the shorter woman. “Care for some breakfast together?” 

With a gentle smile of her own Weiss nods, and flourishes her arm in half a bow to allow Ruby to lead.

* * *

“You and Sirs Polendina, and Pine are very close, aren’t you?” They’re halfway to the dinning hall when Weiss chooses to speak, cautious and uncertain. 

“They’ve been my guards for a long time, but why do you ask?” Ruby pulls them to a stop near the entrance to a set of vacant guest rooms.

“Some of the other guards, they talk.” Weiss isn’t one to stutter or second guess herself, and Ruby finds herself pulling her closer. “They say Oscar wishes to be with you.” The last few words are mumbled, but Ruby can hear them clear as day.

“What!? Oscar!?” It’s the most inelegant squawk that has ever left her mouth but Ruby can’t help herself.  _ Oscar? Like her? Like-like her? Never! _

“I’ve seen the way he looks at you, my lady.”

“E-even if he did!! I-I don’t-I’d never-” Ruby stutters in a panic, unsure of what to say in the moment, and Weiss’s hands fly up to her mouth to stop her rambling. With a deep breath Ruby pulls Weiss’ hands away and smiles. “I like someone else, anyway.”

“O-oh.” Weiss shifts under smiling silver eyes. “Polendina?” 

Ruby snickers softly, holding Weiss’ hands close to her chest, “No Weiss. You.”

There's a strained silence between them, and Weiss leans forward against the taller woman, letting out a soft breath. “Well that’s good.” Ruby laughs again, wrapping her arms around her knight, feeling the woman relax in her arms. “I feel the same, my lady.”


	47. Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: aimlessly driving on the highway  
> Prompt: Car  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: This is a continuation of prompts Husband (chapter 16) and Atlas (chapter 37)

_ Ruby stood by the side of the car, waiting to hear what Weiss thought. “Well…?” they asked. _

_ She stood there stunned. No words. Breath held. It was nothing like she had ever seen before. “It’s… a car.”  _

_ “It’s not just any car,” they said, strolling over to Weiss’s side. “This was the first car I paid for all by myself. I got it during my first year in service. What do you think?” they asked, eager to hear her reply. _

_ She thought it was hideous. The jeep had a color the shade of dirt and burnt orange that was a complete eyesore. The car alone was bulky, thick, and by no means used to cruise around in. Granted, Ruby did get it while they were a cadet, so it served some purpose. _

_ Weiss chuckled nervously, “Wow, I mean… Sergeant, this sure is lovely”—she pushed her glasses up her nose—“to see you have a reliable means of transportation.” _

_ “Yep,” they failed to read her questionable remark. “Come on,” they tugged her hand, “I’ll show you around.” _

_ And by “show you around” they explicitly wanted to passionately make out in the back of their car. Although the exterior was grotesque, the interior was spacious and Weiss enjoyed herself for the most part. Ruby ran their hands in her hair, accidentally hitting the ends of her glasses down her nose. Weiss chuckled, lightly pushed Ruby’s shoulder, and adjusted her glasses accordingly. Instead of focusing on her lips, they had a taste of her neck, peppering as much surface area as possible. She craned her head back to help them with their task and accidentally bumped her head on the window. “Ow!” she yelped. _

_ “Are you okay?” Ruby gasped, focusing on Weiss. _

_ She slumped and sighed, “I’m fine.” _

_ “Yeah?” _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ They scooted back, giving her room to breathe. “Do you want to stop?” _

_ Weiss brushed loose strands of white hair away from her face, tucked a lock of it behind her ear, and pushed her glasses up her nose. She leaned forward for a long, tender kiss. Weiss wrapped her arms around them and nodded her head in their shoulder. She whispered in their hair, “Thank you for a lovely evening, Sergeant. Goodnight.” _

* * *

Years later, Ruby walked through the doors of their and Weiss’s home with a heavy heart. The couple vowed to keep their relationship a secret at work until further notice and respected that boundary at all costs. Weiss almost broke that promise earlier by bringing up a sore subject on the table: Ruby’s decade-old jeep.

Back at home, the couple pretended things were normal—asking how work was and what the family was having for dinner. A sudden shift happened after they tucked their five-year-old in bed.

The night quickly filled with a series of bitterness, crying, and apologies. Ruby’s pent up emotions ripped the stoic mask off their face.

Every relationship has a bumpy road. It was a muddy metaphor for the time and situation. She was ashamed; they understood her anguish. And like every road, they kept moving ahead. An uncertain future waits for them. It’s nice to look back now and again.

The couple is back where they were all of those years ago. Like nothing happened. Like the past was stuck in the past. The present felt like a lifetime. Opportunity awaits. It felt heavy after today.

“Ruby,” Weiss coos, “I know how much this car means to you”—their fingers intertwine—“but this old girl is too old.” Nearly fifteen years to be exact. The jeep is on its last leg. Weiss knows it. Ruby is well aware of it, too.

Ruby nods. They sniffle, wiping off sadness with their sleeve. And their arm remains wrapped around Weiss.

“Consider a brighter future for this sweet, old thing.”

More nodding. More tears.

“I liked seeing you at work today.”

They scoff between the suffering they’re enduring.

“I’m sorry we ended it on a sour note—"

“No, I’m sorry, that was my fault,” they sob. “I want to see you at work again. What if we quarrel again?” 

“I promise you”—Weiss rubs circles in their back—“it won’t happen again.” She kisses the top of their hair, dry for once. “I love you.”

“I love you, too," they promise.

Their breath becomes unsteady and shaky. The sound of Ruby’s sobbing fills the jeep. Ruby buries their head deep in the crook of Weiss's neck—where they once peppered kisses as a sign of love, not cowardice. They were always so sensitive. 

“After every dispute, we’ll work through it together, okay?”

“Okay,” they whisper.

Weiss snuggles closer. “I understand why you want to keep this car—beyond the memories—but remember, driving Nicky around in this isn’t safe. The jeep isn’t insured. You want to keep this old girl, and I want her gone." She lets out a heavy sigh. "As a businesswoman, I am willing to make a compromise.”

She looks down to see their lips curl into a smile.

“What do you propose, Ruby?”

They map every pore, every follicle, and every crease on her hand. It’s soft and calming. “Every other day, we carpool to work in the jeep. The gas mileage will be less taxing; plus, I wouldn’t mind spending an extra thirty minutes with you,” they smile.

Her Ruby was back. She felt it in her heart. The only repercussion she can think of with this proposal would be the potential rumor mill around her—not like there isn’t always one. Weiss sighs and puts a hand out. “It’s a deal.” The couple shakes on it. "Starting tomorrow."

"Actually," Ruby remembers, "I promised my team lunch on Friday."

“Friday, after the all-hands?”

They slowly nod.

Weiss lays a hand on their chest. "We can start on Thursday then." Ruby sends her a smile.

“You… don’t look too thrilled about this,” Ruby teases.

“Trust me, babe, I’m screaming on the inside.”

They chuckle and plant a kiss on her cheek. “Are we okay?”

Weiss pecks Ruby's lips in return. “Always.”


	48. Lungs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lungs  
> Author: SunoKasai  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunokasai

For Weiss, being with Ruby was like suffocating. But not in a good way.

Whatever the heiress had wanted from her time in Beacon, Ruby Rose had taken it and had thrown it out of the window. It was Ruby, technically two years her junior, who had become team leader, not the diligent Weiss Schnee. Her team was anything but what she wished for: Disorganized, loud (a huge part thanks to Ruby and Yang), they didn’t take their studies as serious as Weiss did. Peace and quiet was a rarity in this dorm but something Weiss longed for, but couldn’t get.

The only thing she could think of that was as she wished for, was the simple fact that she wasn’t in Atlas, wasn’t inside that cold manor and didn’t have to face her father every single day.

All Weiss wanted was to be left alone, to finish her education as a huntress so she could once again restore honor to the Schnee name. She didn’t need long lasting bonds for this. Or friendship. And yet, her partner of all people, her team leader, clung to her despite all of her attempts at stopping this behavior. Despite the numerous times Weiss told her that they were not friends, Ruby would go ahead and proclaim that they were best friends, even.

It wasn’t just Jaune who didn’t get the hint. It was also this dolt of a girl named Ruby Rose.

All these touches, all those hugs and embraces… whenever they happened, Weiss would stiffen upon contact. It was uncomfortable, something she wasn’t used to and didn’t want to get used to for it made her feel strange. It was as if Ruby’s touch, her hugs especially, would press the air out of Weiss’ lungs because they were just so tight. It made her squirm, desperate to get out at times.

Yes, being with Ruby was like suffocating, for Weiss was simply not used to the affection and craziness that came with this girl.

* * *

For Weiss, being without Ruby was like all the air left her lungs without a chance to return the moment she had to leave Beacon behind, replaced with a cold poison that disguised itself as air.

Being with her team, but especially being with Ruby, had become her new normal. She couldn’t sleep now that she was in her room in Schnee manor, alone. The quiet was just too deafening for her to fall asleep. There was no Yang, snoring across the room on her top bunk, one leg sticking out of her blanket. The was no subtle shuffle of Blake as she curled further into herself and the warmth.

There was no dangerous creak from the bunk right above her that should have scared her, as it was a sign of it probably crashing down on her. There was no mumbling Ruby as she talked in her dreams. No Ruby that would hop down in the middle of a night because she couldn’t sleep, asking Weiss to share. Or a Ruby who would jump down because somehow she sensed that Weiss herself couldn’t sleep because of bad memories turned bad dreams, offering companionship and safety without a word as she crawled in beside Weiss.

There were no surprisingly strong arms wrapping themselves around Weiss when she least expected it, arms and corresponding body she would find herself relax into ever so slightly after a moment. No hugs and embraces so warm, that Weiss could feel the ice inside of her melting away with every breath she took until all that was left were the small bits and pieces of coldness she refused to let go, too stubborn to do so.

Maybe she should have told Ruby while she still had the chance. Maybe she should have told her how much she enjoyed being with her, and Blake and Yang. How much she enjoyed every small touch of the younger girl and how much she enjoyed their hugs. Admit that Ruby Rose was the first and best friend of Weiss Schnee. Maybe then they could have stolen more of those moments, with Weiss enjoying them even more than she already had.

Now that it was gone, Weiss felt the ice creeping bad with every inhale inside the cold Schnee Manor. Like poison it made its way through her system and rebuild walls long shattered, but not quite the same as before. For as she once thought she didn’t need warmth in her life, now she longed for it. The icy walls inside of her were still to shield and protect her being from the outside, but now she desperately wished for them to also protect the warm memories she was left with.

Being without Ruby… It left her without warmth, allowed the cold to enter her body and to leave her suffocating at the hands of her isolation.

* * *

For Weiss, seeing Ruby again after so long left her breathless.

The younger girl had grown. She was no longer the child she used to be at Beacon. Because even if her childish behavior remained at times, Weiss also recognized the battle hardened huntress in front of her, the amount of seriousness and sense for responsibility that came with that change. No longer was she shorter than Weiss, a growth spurt giving her the advantage of an inch when Weiss herself wore heels.

If she were to take this off, Weiss realized, she would need to actually look up to look into Ruby’s silver eyes.

Her silver eyes. Their color had changed a little, Weiss noted as she took a moment to study them. The softness and kindness in them she was so familiar with remained, but they had also sharpened with steely resolve and something… dull that Weiss couldn’t quite identify.

Ruby’s touches and hugs returned the warmth she had missed so much. But they too had changed in a way. Changed into touches more fleeting at times and hugs so tight, it seemed Ruby didn’t want to let go. Weiss returned them now, equally as tight because of this lingering fear of this being just a dream. That if she were to let go, she would wake up in Schnee Manor. But she didn’t. And maybe the fact that Ruby had stiffened the first time Weiss had hold her so tight before she melted into it brought the ex-heiress more joy than anything in the world could.

It was then that Weiss realized with a startled breath that maybe she felt more for Ruby than just simple friendship.

* * *

For Weiss, telling Ruby how she felt was like trying to hold your breath when you are submerged under water without being able to resurface.

Every part of her body screamed for it to be over, for Ruby to finally say something, anything at all. And even if she rejected Weiss, at least Ruby would know. Sure, Weiss would be crushed, but she knew that no matter what, it would not affect her friendship with her partner. Ruby would not allow that to happen.

But with every second that passed by with Ruby just staring at her, Weiss felt more and more nervous. So she hesitantly called her name, soft and nervous and uncertain.

The next thing Weiss knew is that her eyes flutter close as soon as she feels a pair of lips on her own.

It was exactly how Weiss had imagined it and more. Ruby was soft and careful, hesitant at first. But as soon as she felt Weiss returning the kiss, the two of them quickly found a rhythm. Warmth spread throughout her body, alongside a feeling of coming home and everything felt just right.

Home is wherever Ruby is, Weiss realized in that moment.

The kiss took her breath away and Weiss wouldn’t mind if this is how it ends.

Loving and kissing Ruby… was like suffocating.

But in the most beautiful way possible.


	49. Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Ruby M.D. Chi.B.  
> Prompt: Doctor  
> Writer: Matchappreciated  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Matchappreciated  
> A/N: I just wanted to give Jacques a new heart and this happened. I. Don’t. Know.

“Schnee? Is there anyone here for Schnee?”

Weiss heard the call but was in the middle of sending a message on her scroll. So instead of answering, she raised one finger to let the voice know that she was there and would be just a moment. Finishing what she was doing, she closed the device up, tossed it back into her purse, and finally looked up.

When Weiss turned toward the face of the voice, she felt her breath stutter. Short hair that matched the black medical scrubs, soft pale skin, slightly puffed out cheeks, cute button nose, and shining silver eyes. She was slightly taller than Weiss herself but just as young. This girl was obviously an intern or a med student. The papers in the waiting hands were being riffled through while the owner searched for information.

Walking up to the distracted girl, Weiss announced herself. “Yes? I’m Weiss Schnee. Do you have news about the operation?”

Silver met blue. The girl gave Weiss a smile and stuck out her hand. “Hello, I’m Doctor Ruby Rose and I just diagnosed you with acute smile.” This was accompanied by a wink and the smile growing even wider.

Wait, what? Weiss didn’t know what to make of that but could feel her cheeks burning from the unexpected compliment.

“Kidding! But not,” Wink. “It’s nice to meet you Weiss. But seriously, the surgery did go well. I was able to successfully give your father a heart transplant. It was easier than most since there wasn’t much we had to take out before putting in the new one.”

Weiss let out a small sigh of relief. With his new heart, Jacques Schnee could finally develop feelings again.

“You know, since I took your father’s heart out, I think I should do the same for you. Take you out, maybe a dinner and a movie?” Wink. Wink.

Oh. With each wink Weiss became redder and redder. “Thank you doctor-…er, Ruby. I would just  _ love _ it if you did that.” With their plans confirmed she continued, “What about my mother? Do you have any news on her?”

Flipping through the papers in her hand, Doctor Rose didn’t say anything until she found the page she was looking for. Quickly reading it, she finally responded. “Ah yes, Willow Schnee.” Ruby looked over the rim of her glasses to focus on Weiss. “I was able to remove the bottle fused to her hand. She won’t have to worry about that ever again.”

Weiss was ecstatic at this news and threw her arms around the white jacket clad surgeon. Her face had returned to a normal shade of red but still retained a small blush and a shy smile while Ruby maintained a cool and collected expression. “Thank you so much doctor!”

“You’re very welcome fair maiden. I was also able to help your brother and sister too. Thankfully Winter only had some scrapes and a black eye. After letting her hair down she is now fully healed. And your brother is being given an infusion of fun right now.”

Weiss found herself being held up in a princess carry by her savior with her head resting on her shoulder. “Oh Doctor Ruby!”

“I would check you out too but I’ve already done that and decided that you’re already perfectly fine.” Wink. Wink. Wink.

Suddenly finding her knees weak, Weiss was toppling backwards towards the ground in a faint from such overwhelming admiration towards the redhead. Thankfully, Ruby was there to catch her just as she came parallel with the ground. “Are you alright? You seem out of breath, hold still while I give you CPR.” Ruby swept back one side of her doctor’s coat to show the tuxedo underneath before leaning in closer and pressing her puckered lips against Weiss’ own. Her blue eyes slowly fluttered shut, trying to resist losing sight of the girl holding her.

When Weiss was stood back up by the silver eyed girl, all she saw were hearts swirling around her head.

“Doctor!” Came a call from across the room, “This man needs help. He seems to be stuck in slow-motion.”

The green haired man on the gurney slowly reached toward them. “If only I was a doctor instead of a professor…”

Ruby looked back at her beloved, red cape blowing behind her, “I’m sorry my sweet! These people need my help. Our romantic evening together will have to wait!” Wink. Wink. Wink. Wink. The winks ended up blended together until it became a steady twitching.

_ Gasp _ . Sitting up in her bed, Weiss looked around frantically to make sure she was still in her bed and not at a hospital. She peeked at her sleeping partner to make sure she was still asleep and not wearing a white coat. The moon was shining brilliantly through the window and the night was quiet. Nothing but her own heavy breathing to disturb the silence.

Laying back against her pillows, her eyes still just as wide as they were when she woke up. “What the-” BLEEEEEEEEEEP


	50. Gamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Weiss Sucks at Video Games  
> Prompt: Gamer  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse

The sound of failure echoed in the room—from the video game on the screen in front of them and Weiss’s ego. The heiress juts her bottom lip as she watches their team leader pump her arms in the air in victory. She longs for the taste of victory one of these days. Weiss looks at the final score for the night: Ruby, 15; Weiss, 0.

“One more round,” Weiss insisted.

“Nope,” said Ruby, “I’m beat.”

_“You’re beat?_ _I’m_ beat. Fifteen times to be exact,” she counters.

Ruby stands up on her feet and climbs on her bunk. “We can play  _ Ninja vs. Ninja _ some other day, Weiss.” She crawls under her sheets. “Goodnight.”

* * *

Someday, Weiss Schnee was going to beat Ruby at  _ Ninja vs. Ninja. _ She was determined to. So, she phoned in a couple of experts to discuss strategy. Starting with Blake and Yang.

“Maybe this game ain’t your style?” Yang suggested.

Weiss scoffs. “I mean… it wasn’t. I mainly wanted to play to spend more time with Ruby, but it’s not fun anymore!”

Now, it was Yang’s turn to scoff. “Ruby doesn’t play games ‘for fun,’” she air quotes. “She’s a gamer; it’s in her nature.”

“I guess we’ll see about that,” Blake commented as Ruby walked in their dorm carrying a snack.

Three pairs of eyes gravitated toward her. “What?”

Weiss pulls out her scroll. “Game. Now.” She demanded.

Ruby looked between her sister and Blake before laying her eyes on her partner. “Fine,” she sighs, “let’s get this over with.” She takes out her scroll and turns on the TV. Blake and Yang spectate from their respective bunks.

The match consisted of heavy and intense button smashing. Weiss played more offensive than last time, and Ruby’s ninja would even miss critical strikes. The team leader grunts, smacking the side of her controller. Blake and Yang do their own commentary—shouting out attacks, reminding them to use their special moves, and cheering them on. The health bar shrinks, getting smaller and smaller by the minute. Until… victory fanfare played in the game. 

“I won,” Weiss gasped.

“Noooo!” Ruby groaned. “Rematch! My controller was messed up!”

Weiss laid a finger on her chin. “Mmmm, I don’t think so. I won fair and square.”

“We played fifteen rounds the other night,” Ruby whines, “that doesn’t sound fair to me.”

The heiress puts her hands on her hips. “Let me revel in this victory, Ruby.”

Ruby sighs in defeat. “Okay.”

Weiss grabs her purse and a light jacket. “I think I’ll head to the dining hall to reward myself. I was thinking… a nice, thick chocolate cake sounds about right.”

“Ohh, a chocolate cake,” Ruby drools.

“Toodles,” Weiss announces her departure, leaving the rest of her team behind. Ruby instantly switched from disappointed to content.

Yang tsks from the top bunk. “You totally let her win, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t let her win,” Ruby shrugs, “I just… wanted to see her happy.”


	51. Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Hunt  
> Writer: GeneralDelF  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneralDelF/works

“Someone here looks glad. What happened?” Ruby asked her friend that happily hummed while preparing breakfast.

“Well… Let's just say I didn't spend the night at home.”Penny answered with a giggle.

“The whole night? It must have been awesome.” Ruby said, pouring coffee in a cup.

"It was. We were cuddling and hugging and all. It was great. She's so beautiful, with her long white hair, those cute pink lips, and those big, round… e-eyes… Winter is just the best. Speaking of, on your way to give Weiss her morning 'coffee'?” Penny watched as Ruby's face was gradually eaten by the deep red blush.

“For your information, yes. She craves her coffee when she wakes up.”

“I've heard that her father wants to speak with her.” At that, Ruby sighed.

“Aww man, looks like no cuddling today.” Ruby took the coffee and left the kitchen. She went upstairs, passed another maid, and knocked on the door.

“Miss, your coffee.”

“Come in.” A tired voice answered. Ruby opened the door and closed after her. She then put the coffee on the nightstand.

“Your morning coffee, as usual.” Ruby bent down and kissed the half-sleeping beauty.

“Delicious, sweet… strawberry cupcake?” Ruby smiled and lied down next to the white-haired girl.

“Yepp, it was really good. I-” Ruby started but was cut off by Weiss' lips kissing her own. Weiss then rolled on top of Ruby and slowly started smooching her neck.

“W-Weiss, that's so- no, wait. Weiss, w-wait.” Weiss stopped, confused.

“You didn't like it?”

“No, that's not it. But, Penny told me that she heard that your father wants to speak to you.” Weiss sighed.

“I see… Well, will you stop here tonight? Usual time?” Ruby caught Weiss and kissed her.

“Of course.” Weiss stood up, drank her coffee in one go, and started dressing but not before teasing Ruby as she took off her nightgown. After Weiss was dressed, she left, giving Ruby one last kiss for now.

Ruby sighed happily and cleaned the room, not like there was a lot of mess. She was soon done and went with the empty mug back to the kitchen.

“Ruby, do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you?” Penny asked while cutting paprika.

“Yeah, maybe it's because Winter is stalking you from the other room.” Ruby nudged the way with her head.

“I beg your pardon, I am not stalking anyone.” Winter strictly said before realizing she just blown her cover. “I-I was just fascinated by how well miss Polendina can cut.” Ruby chuckled.

“It's ok. It's just us here. You know, with the way you talk when you're embarrassed you remind me of Weiss.” Winter looked around and when she couldn't find anyone, she gave Penny a quick kiss.

“I know I am going to sound like a terrible person, but I wish father would just die already. I think he destroyed more lives than your average demon.”

“I understand. Weiss feels the same way.” Ruby sighed.

“No doubt about that after today.” Winter scoffed.

“Wait… after today?” Ruby's started beating fast with worry about her other half.

“You haven't heard? Father arranged marriage for Weiss. That fucker is supposed to come tomorrow very early in the morning, somewhere from the south. I learned it a while ago.” Ruby could feel her heart skipping a beat, and not in a romantic way. Her vision darkened and even though she saw Winter's lips moving, she had no clue what she was saying.

“Ruby!” Winter slapped the girl back to reality.

“I am sorry. I just kinda lost it… Did you really say marriage?” Ruby wanted to take the knife from Penny's hand and stab her boss with it right now when Winter nodded in confirmation.

“Ruby, take it slow. I know it must be terrible news, but I advise you to go home and get some rest. We'll think of something tomorrow, alright?” Ruby just barely managed to nod before she walked away in the changing room. After she left the mansion, she headed back to her own little hut. But then, halfway there while having thoughts full of worries, she decided to go a different way. She headed to the woods.

It was a pretty long walk but at least Ruby could clean her head and decide if she really wants to do this.“It's the only thing I can do,” Ruby told herself. 

Finally, she reached her destination. She knocked on the door of the wooden cottage. She heard steps and then someone opened the door.

“Ruby! It's so nice to see you! Come and give your big sis a hug.” A tall, blonde girl caught Ruby and squeezed her in a hug.

“Y-Yang, you're killing me. I can't breathe.” Ruby was, at last, spared. Yang let go of her and took her inside.

“So, what are you doing here? I thought you hated me?”

“I didn't say I hate you. Just the way you live isn't made for me.” Ruby sighed.

“Are you sure? Aren't you here exactly because of that?” Yang smirked.

“Well… alright, yes. I want to go on a hunt with you.” Ruby unwillingly admitted.

“So, you're finally being honest with yourself?”

“Look, I don't need to be honest with myself. I am not hungry. You can eat everything yourself for all I care. I just need to get rid of somebody.” If Ruby's friends would see and hear her right now, they wouldn't recognize her. There was a deep hatred in her voice and her eyes.

“Understand. When, where, and who?” Yang asked seriously, all of the teasing and joking nowhere to be heard in her voice.

* * *

Ruby ran around the mansion, making sure not to be seen. She then climbed to the second level and lightly knocked on a window. After a while, the window opened and Ruby got in.

“Ruby, you dolt! Do you know how much I worried about you? You're two hours late!” Weiss whisper-scolded Ruby.

“I am so sorry. I heard what your dad wanted to tell you. I felt sick so I went to visit my sister, but she lives deep in the woods and I kinda forgot about the time.” Ruby blurted out.

“I see… Ruby I… tried to talk with him about it but… he didn't care, even when I said I already have somebody. I don't know what to do. I don't want anyone else than you.” Weiss teared up.

“Weiss, calm down. Please, don't cry. We're going to think out something. Winter's going to help us.” She comforted Weiss with a hug.

“Honestly, I wish something would happen to the guy and he wouldn't come. Does that make me a bad person?” Weiss' sobs calmed and now it was just the sorrow in her eyes that Ruby had to take care of.

“No, there nothing wrong on wanting to live your life the way you want. Know what? What about I stay here tonight?”

“Well, that sounds nice but… wouldn't that get you in trouble?”

“Penny did it too, and she's fine.”

“Because father doesn't watch her that closely. But I would appreciate it.” Weiss smiled before noticing dried blood on Ruby's shoes.

“R-Ruby? Did something happen?” Weiss asked worriedly and pointed at the blood.

“Oh, no, that's nothing. I told you, I visited my sister. She lives deep in the forest and she has to hunt most of what she eats. It's kinda messy in the kitchen. I guess I stepped into a puddle or something.” Weiss understandably nodded, glad that Ruby wasn't hurt.

After Ruby changed into a nightgown that Weiss borrowed her, they went to bed where they cuddled about half an hour before they heard knocking on the door. Ruby jumped under the bed and hid under it.

“C-Come in,” Weiss said nervously and the opened.

“Weiss, I would swear I've heard someone else as well,” Winter said and Ruby crawled out.

“H-Hi Winter.” Ruby awkwardly waved. Winter promptly closed the door.

“It's good you're both here. I got some good news… well, depending on the point of view. A while ago, the cart in which your soon-to-be husband was supposed to come was found demolished, with a lot of blood. Nobody was found yet but it looks like an attack of some wild animals.” 

“That sounds… terrible… but at the same time good.” Weiss didn't know how to feel. She should feel sad for the man but she didn't know him. And without the groom, there will be no wedding. She could stay secretly with Ruby until her father's death. And then…

“That means... no… wedding, right?” Ruby grinned.

“Yes, just if the guards would find him… still alive.” Winter confirmed. “I guess I should go… my… bed is waiting.” After Winter walked away, Ruby and Weiss wanted to somehow celebrated but it was too late and they were too tired so they went to sleep instead.

In the morning, Ruby woke up earlier than Weiss. She went silently downstairs and then to change to her uniform. After that, she went to do a morning coffee for Weiss like every morning, while gossiping a little with Penny and then taking the coffee to Weiss. Today was however different, and not just because Ruby didn't leave, but because Weiss wasn't in her bed. Which was even weirder because Ruby saw her there just ten minutes ago. She saw another maid walk by and so she stopped her.

“Hey, uh… don't you know where is Miss Weiss? I have her morning coffee for her.”

“In the boss' office."

“Thanks.” Ruby headed towards the room and just when she was about to knock, she heard yelling.

“I don't care if you a boyfriend, girlfriend, or five of each! You will go there and that's it!” Weiss' father yelled.

“I am not going to some dessert village in the middle of nothing just to marry some buffoon whose strongest trait is that his father is rich!” Weiss yelled back.

“You will, otherwise I will have Miss Rose thrown in jail, for an attempt on my life.”

“You can't do that!”

“Yes, I can, and I will. Weiss, I don't think you are aware of how marriage works. You can keep that little maid, it's normal. Your duty is simply to strengthen our bonds with our business partner and give your husband an heir.” Ruby felt like puking when she heard Jacques.

“Are you serious? What you want of me is-”

“ENOUGH!” Jacques slammed into something. “You will go and pack your things. I will send you on your way after lunch.” Ruby couldn't believe her ears. When she heard footsteps, she went to hide behind a corner. When Weiss got out and slammed with the door, Ruby silently signaled on her.

“R-Ruby? Y-You heard it… didn't you?” Ruby nodded sadly.

“What are we going to do?” Weiss moped. While Ruby felt like crying, it lit up inside her head.

“I got an idea,” Ruby said getting closer to Weiss. “Listen closely.”

* * *

Ruby, Penny, and one other maid served the food on the table.

“Father, I have thought about it, and I decided that I will do what you want.” At that, Jacques smiled. “Under one condition.”

“And that is?”

“As you said, marriage doesn't bind me to that man, and so I want Miss Rose with me.” Ruby's eyes widened in shock.

“If that's your only condition, alright. Miss Rose, go pack your things and come back as fast as possible. You will be sent to Vacuo with Weiss.” Ruby just bowed and swiftly walked back to her hut. Still in her uniform, she took a bag and shoved the most important things, her underwear, some clothes, the necklace she got from Weiss that she could never wear because everybody would think she stole it, her favorite fairy tales book, and her knife that she got from Yang when she was five. She then put on her red cape.

With one last glance at her house, she sighed and ran back to the mansion. She was almost there when she saw Weiss waiting in front of a cart.

“Here you are,” Weiss called on Ruby which handed over her bag to the driver. Ruby looked at Winter and simply nodded with a smile.

“I am going to miss you, Ruby.” Penny hugged Ruby.

“I am gonna miss you too.” Ruby smiled. After Penny let go, Ruby and Weiss got in the cart and with four guards on horses beside them, they left. After ten minutes of traveling, Ruby put her head on Weiss' shoulder.

“Perfect,” Ruby whispered. “This went smoother than I expected.” She then kissed Weiss on her neck.

“Yeah. Now, what are we going to do with those guards? We could take out two, but four? How are we-” Before Weiss could finish her sentence, the cart stopped and screams could be heard from outside.

“Oh no. Weiss, stay inside NO matter what. Alright?” Ruby stole a quick kiss and got outside. All the guards were dead together with the driver. There was blood everywhere, and horses were nowhere to be seen. But there was something moving there, feeding on the fallen guard. It was tall and slim, its claws were long and sharp, teeth like needles, and a tail roughly reminding the one of a scorpion.

“Yang, what the hell?!” Ruby yelled at the beast. But it just looked away from its food and roared. It jumped on Ruby but was met with a sharp claw right in its stomach. The beast grunted, screeched, and ran away.

“Ruby?!” Weiss stared at Ruby's hand, long sharp.

“Weiss?!” Ruby looked at Weiss and then at her hand. She shook it and the next second it was normal again.

“What the hell are you?! What did you do to my Ruby?!” Weiss shouted.

“Weiss, it's me, Ruby. Please, calm down. I'll explain everything.” 

“How can I know it's you?” Weiss hesitantly stepped forward.

“Ask me whatever you want. Just please, believe me.”

“Then… what was the first gift I gave you?”

“The most beautiful necklace I've ever seen. It was from white gold and in the shape of a rose. You gave it to me on our second secret date and I couldn't wear it anywhere besides home because I would definitely be accused of theft.” Ruby smiled and reached her hand for Weiss. Weiss looked into her eyes, took her hand, and pulled her in a hug.

“It is you.” Weiss then pushed Ruby away a few centimeters and punched her shoulder. “You got some explaining to do… inside.” She added after looking around.

“So… what… was that? Are you not… human?” Weiss cautiously asked.

“Well… not really. I… my species don't have a name. Everyone who ever saw us called us monsters or nightmares, demons, terrors, and so on. That thing outside was my sister.”

“Your sister? But she attacked you?”

“Because it was controlling her.”

“I-It?”

“Hunger. You see, unlike me, my sister hates all of humanity, that's why she lives so far from everything. Humans are nothing more than a piece of bacon to her. I managed to get it under control, I eat sweets instead… lots of sweets. But she never did, when she changes, what controls her is her hunger.”

“S-So you're in reality like her?”

“In appearance, yes. Any other way? No.” Weiss thought about how couldn't she notice something earlier, and then she remembered what Winter told her at night.

“Wait… you came late yesterday… please don't tell me because you killed the guy.” 

“I-I didn't… At least I didn't want to… I just wanted to scare him so he wouldn't come back… but Yang got to him earlier. Look, I know what you think, that I am a monster… and maybe you're right. That's what everyone told me ever since I was five.”

“Five?”

“Yeah. You see, in my first five years, I was a normal child. But then, I got pushed off by a swinging set. I was upset like a normal kid would be and I felt injustice. But there was nothing normal about it… my limbs grew longer, and so my teeth. And then, all that made me look human disappeared. Hair, normal eyes, lips. I was controlled by rage and jumped at the little boy. When I realized what I was doing, I let him go. He ran away and yelled monster. I then learned my whole family was like that. I didn't want to be like that. I wanted to be like those heroes in my fairy tales book. Because anybody could be a hero there and I wanted to be one of them. Help people, finding my princess… and I found you. You gave me the last piece of will to completely lock the creature deep inside me… but then Winter told me about the marriage and those chains broke. And I wanted to get rid of him. I know it's not an excuse and… I should probably…”

“Probably what?” Weiss took Ruby's hand and placed it on her cheek. “Go?”

“Y-Yes…”

“You should.” Weiss smiled. “And I should go with you, Penny and Winter are probably waiting already.” Ruby looked in Weiss' eyes in shock.

“S-So, you don't care?”

“Ruby, I love you. Besides, I knew that guy. Let's just say that he wasn't much better than father.”

“I love you too, but are you aware of the possible consequences?”

“They couldn't be worse than what happens after father finds out that I and Winter ran away.” Ruby nodded in acknowledgment.

“I suppose… but are you sure you want this life? Sooner or later, someone will find us, whether it's a hunter or someone else, we will be hunted. I can live like that. I lived like that before... I met you. But can you?”

“As long as we are together, and as long as you won't eat anyone.” Weiss jokingly added with a bit of seriousness.

“Of course, I never did, why should I start when I have you?”

“We should probably go. Winter and Penny should already be there.” They got out of the cart.

“We should probably tell them too,” Ruby said.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I mean, we are going to be on a run together, this isn't something I should hide.”

“I guess… what about your sister though? It looked like you hurt her pretty badly. Are you just going to leave her?”

“The wound was nothing, she's gonna be fine. Besides, if she will ever want to find me she could track me.”

“That sounds… dangerous.”

“Don't worry. I will protect you.”


	52. Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dinner  
> Writer: Muffin_fox5

The blind should never lead the blind

Her SOS had been sent out, and her savior had responded promptly to her call for assistance, the very least she had to worry now was not worsening the smoldering cloud of smoke filling the room...and yet as the fire grew stronger Weiss couldn’t help but question for a quick second what lead her to believe that she could bake with zero prior experience...ah right....the power of love.

“Alrighty then, where’s the fi-” Yang’s question was cut short due to the obvious billowing cloud of smoke filling the kitchen. “Holy grapes, Schnee!? What did you do!!??” She had been futeley fighting against the fire by continuing to throw cups of water onto the grease fire, but her pointless struggle still left her with enough focus to come up with a quick retort to the shocked brawler, who was still processing the sight of her white-haired teammate battling the stubborn fire in an apron, and a frantic expression on her face.

“If you want to stand there and gawk feel free to leave and send in someone helpful, otherwise HELP ME!!!” Weiss demanded, a demand which snapped the blonde brawler out of her shocked stupeur. Thankfully for the two huntresses, and the continued existence of team RWBY and friend’s shared Mistal house, the combined force of the two women proved sufficient enough to keep them from having to sleep on the streets. 

“Well know that we’re safe from losing our house…” A fact that Yang was quick to bring up with the pouting Schnee, “You want to bring me up to speed and explain why you're trying to continue your arson career?”

“I don’t have...IT WAS ONE FOREST!!” Weiss exclaimed, her pout now growing more indigniuent as she faced away from the snickering blonde. Crossing her arms and doing her best to avoid the smoldering state of the kitchen, Weiss continued to speak. “And it wasn’t even that large of a fire, it only covered a few acres of..you know what, we aren’t discussing this again.” After an exhausted sigh Weiss took a deep breath to recollect herself and after letting out a few coughs after her lungs were met with the remainder of her kitchen fiasco Weiss continued, still refusing to look Yang in the face. 

“I wasn’t trying to burn down our house I...was trying to bake a cake..” The last few words of her sentence may have been spoken out in a low murmur, but they didn’t manage to slip by the now grinning brawler whose face was now a mere inches from the blushing ex-heiresses left cheek. 

“A cake hmmm? And this cake wouldn’t happen to be related to a certain sweet toothed scythe-wielder’s birthday today would it be Schnee...hmmmmmmmm??” Yang asked, a question which promptly earned her a quick launch up towards the ceiling thanks to the glyph positioned directly under her. 

“I will neither confirm nor deny the nature of this cake…” Weiss said, only waiting for the sound of Yang’s body impacting against the ground before turning to face the disoriented woman and continue speaking, “I only ask that you keep this little…incident...a secret. Otherwise there will be consequences. Do we have an understanding Ms. Xiao Long?” Yang was used to taking worse punishment, so she effortlessly hopped up from the floor and proceeded to brush herself off.

“Yeah yeah your secret’s safe with me Schnee, quick question though, why are you making the cake now when it's almost dinner time? We still don’t have a birthday dinner for Ruby and you don’t exactly have a lot of time left to make something and finish the cake.” Yang said.

“Well as I stated before, I won’t be divulging the purpose behind this cake…” Weiss said, a coverup which earned a quick and obvious stifled snicker from Yang. Not wanting to indulge her however, Weiss continued on speaking. “IF, I was to be planning something for Ruby’s birthday it would be to prepare a large enough cake to allow her to enjoy it for dinner and dessert. After all you said it yourself: she has quite the sweet tooth.” Her face expression had been a smug grin over Weiss’s fierce desire to keep her motives poorly hidden, but that expression was quickly swapped with a more eager one at the sound of Weiss’s plan.

“Weiss that’s brilliant!!” Yang said, prompting a brief period of smugness from Weiss as evident by the confidant grin on her face. “Ruby’s going to love this so much, but we don’t have much time left so I better not see you slacking off now.” That smugness however was quick to vanish however thanks to the confusions Weiss had as she observed Yang procure an apron out of thin air and began rifling through the cabinets and drawers. 

“I’m sorry, ‘we’?” Weiss asked, a question which earned her an unamused stare from Yang.

“Let's be real here Schnee, you have about as much experience in the kitchen as you do with staying on your feet during another human.” Yang said, a statement which prompted a quick rebuttal from the ex-heriesses with an offended expression.

“I take offense to that!” Weiss declared, a declaration that Yang glossed over and continued to speak her peace.

“Not to mention you only have about 2 hours before everyone returns. Face it princess, you want to get this cake done lickety split you’re gonna need my help.” This cake had been a project Weiss had been looking forward to completing on her own so she could show it off proudly to her girlfriend, but Weiss saw the logic in Yang’s words and offered no resistance to the brawler’s help...at least she was about to until an important stipulation popped into her head.

“Yang...do  _ you  _ know how to bake a cake?” Yang had been happily searching for what she perceived to be the necessary tools for preparing Ruby’s cake when she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. A reaction that told Weiss all she needed to know about her teammates' culinary experiences. 

“Beggars can’t be choosers Weiss. Besides how hard can it really be.”- The famous last words spoken by Yang Xiao Long.

* * *

“Uh...is...is everyone alright in here?”

Weiss recognized that her girlfriend’s question was a valid one, but that didn’t lessen the blow to her pride she was feeling as she lightly chuckled amongst the charred ruins that was the kitchen.

“Your concern is appreciated Ruby, but it was only a small cooking snafu.” Weiss said, completely undermining the disastrous state of the kitchen behind her. “Where exactly is everyone else?”

“There uh...still out on a hunt...is my sister okay?” Ruby asked, her concern split between the flour stains decorating her girlfriend’s apron and face and the humbling sight of her sister motionlessly standing in a corner of the kitchen. Faced away from the two women and completely silent. 

“There's no need to worry about her, just nursing her wounded ego is all.” Weiss said. 

“Okay...that still concerns me a little, but I’m sure she’ll be fine.” Ruby said, the slight concern in her tone vanishing in lieu of the peppy tone she had used to initially proclaim her entrance to the house before catching sight of the cloud of smoke leaking out of the kitchen. “Now let's get you cleaned up and out of that apron, it’s dinner time and it’s looking like the perfect time to try out that ramen stand I saw, that is as long as you're fine with it just being the two of us?” Ruby’s question was more asked with a playful tone instead of a curious one. Ruby knew Weiss was always happy to spend some alone time with her girlfriend, and while she couldn’t surprise her birthday girlfriend with a colossal sized cake made with her own two hands and the love she had for her, a nice evening spent with noodles and the scythe-wielder was a fantastic consolation prize.

“You’ll hear no objections from me my dear…” Weiss said, planting a quick kiss on her girlfriend’s cheek. “I’m heading out Yang, you can handle clean up duty.” Weiss said, tossing the filthy apron to the self imposed shame corner where Yang continued to silently contemplate her disatours failings. “Care to escort me to the bathroom Ms. Rose?” Weiss asked, offering out her arm so that Ruby could link her own with it.

“It would be my pleasure Ms. Schnee” Ruby responded, a short giggle fit following her response as she led the flour covered woman off to wash up.


	53. Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sword  
> Writer: HopeofMorning910  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeOfMorning910
> 
> Summary: Finding Weiss doing new things is always interesting. Finding new ways to make her smile is even better.
> 
> A/N: Third installment of the Sanctuary AU after Chp 26 - Sanctuary and Chp 40 - Shield. These chapters have been compiled over at https://www.fanfiction.net/~hopeofmorning910 under the story “Sanctuary” for easy reading.

Ruby hurried down the game trail leading to Weiss’s den. The wicker basket she had borrowed from Weiss a few weeks ago swung at her side with every step. She wasn’t quite skipping, but she definitely wasn’t walking either. She couldn’t help it. She couldn’t wait to share what she had found with Weiss.

She had nearly reached Weiss’s den when a playful growl erupted out of the forest. Ruby immediately set her basket down just as Zwei bounded out of the undergrowth.

The massive wolf launched himself at her, his tail wagging furiously. Ruby grinned widely and met his play-growl with one of her own. They wrestled, sending leaves flying everywhere in their roughhousing. The game lasted until Ruby managed to knock Zwei onto his back, and she launched one final attack: the all-powerful belly rub. Zwei went limp, and his tail wagged so hard that his entire body was practically vibrating with pleasure. He licked her chin happily when she finally let him back up.

“Hey, Zwei,” Ruby said as she gave him a hug. “How’s everything?”

Zwei wasn’t like Yang or Blake. He didn’t communicate in words. Instead, Ruby usually got images or impressions.

In today’s case, Zwei was bored. Weiss wouldn’t pet or cuddle with him because she was busy doing the stick thing.

Ruby cocked her head at him. “The stick thing?”

Zwei sent her an image of Weiss holding a sturdy stick that was about the length of her arm. She was fencing with it. Her feet danced as she pivoted to and fro, facing off against a series of invisible opponents.

It piqued Ruby’s interest immediately. “Show me?” She grabbed Weiss’s basket and followed Zwei back to the human den.

When they finally got there, Ruby hung back under the trees. Zwei, however, went straight to the porch to relax in the shade. 

Ruby quietly observed as Weiss finished her current set, and something inside her stirred at the sight. 

It had been a long time since she had watched anyone train with weapons like she did. Half of her wanted to join in, and the other half just wanted to keep watching. 

Ruby didn’t know humans could be so graceful. True, Weiss wasn’t quite up to speed, and her balance was a bit off thanks to her uneven, improvised weapon, but her movements were clean and precise. She was well on her way to becoming a seasoned hunter, or as humans liked to refer to themselves, a seasoned warrior.

Ruby watched for a few moments more before finally revealing her presence.

“Why do you not use a fang of steel like other humans do?” Ruby asked as she stepped out of the forest.

Weiss straightened and turned at the sound of Ruby’s voice. She pushed a sweat-soaked lock of hair from her face. 

“Ruby,” she said a little breathlessly with a dip of her head. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Ruby returned with a nod of her own. 

“I’m sorry, what did you say? I didn’t quite hear.”

Ruby gestured to the stick in Weiss’s hand. “Humans use metal tools to make up for their own lack of fangs and claws.” Ruby summoned her scythe to show it to Weiss. “I do, too.” She dispelled it. “But you’re using a stick.”

Weiss lowered her makeshift weapon. “Yes, they do. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to take more than a knife with me when I left.”

Ruby frowned. “That’s not good. You should always keep your metal fangs nearby, even when you sleep. How else can you protect yourself?”

Weiss looked away. “I would have if I could.”

“Why couldn’t you?”

“Because my father thought it was unladylike for a woman of my social status to wield any sort of weapon. He put a stop to my fencing lessons as soon as he could. I haven’t even been allowed to touch anything larger than a knife in years.” Weiss’s voice was hard in the way it always was when she spoke of her sire.

Ruby didn’t like it.

She held out her hand and motioned towards the stick, her palm outstretched. Weiss cocked her head and her brow rose, but she handed it over without question.

Ruby ran her fingers over the stick, learning every knot and sensing every flowing grain. It still had a green heart. Good. 

Ruby called upon her magic and poured it into the wood. Slowly, the stick began to wriggle and shift in her hands. Parts of it flattened and narrowed while other areas thickened and grew. Sweat dripped down Ruby’s temple as she bent her will to the task, urging the wood into a specific shape and enchanting it so that it would be as hard as steel. 

At last, she was done. 

What was once an ordinary stick was now a proper wooden blade. The guard wasn’t as wide as some of the blades she had seen before, but it would do. She breathed a sigh and called back her magic. She checked over her handiwork once more, even swinging the blade through the air a couple times to make sure it was properly balanced, before finally handing it back to Weiss.

“There. That should be better.”

Weiss accepted it, her eyes wide with surprise and something else that Ruby didn’t recognize. Weiss turned, entered a battle stance, and then launched herself into a combination of strikes and thrusts.

Ruby smiled to herself, pleased to see Weiss’s speed and balance had already improved.

When Weiss finished her set, there was a glowing smile on her face. “Thank you,” she said. 

Ruby’s own smile widened. “You’re welcome.” Then she tilted her head. “A stick works for training, but it’s not as good for protection.”

Weiss made her way back to the porch where there was a cloth and a bucket of water waiting for her. She put her new training weapon down and picked up the cloth. She dipped it into the bucket, wrung it out, and used it to wipe the sweat from her face and neck. “Yes, but it’s what I have,” she said.

Ruby tapped her fingers against the basket she was carrying, thinking aloud. “It’s safe enough here within the wards, but going beyond them can be dangerous. If you know how to use a fang of steel, then you should have one of your own.” She nodded to herself. “We will get you one.”

Weiss’s eyes seemed to brighten in a way that made Ruby feel oddly excited, giddy even. “You have a spare sword I could borrow?”

_ Sword,  _ Ruby silently repeated to herself.  _ The long fang of steel is called a “sword”.  _

Sometimes she forgot all the names humans had for things. They had so many after all. But she was slowly learning them now that she was spending more time with Weiss. 

Ruby nodded. “I have many. You can have one to keep.” She bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, suddenly eager to show them to Weiss. “Are you busy today? If we leave now, we can reach the place where I keep the human things and still be able to return by sundown.”

“Well, I already watered the garden. I just need to clean up and have breakfast first.” Weiss’s cheeks turned pink as she ran her fingers through her slightly disheveled locks. “I didn’t know you would be coming today. You don’t usually arrive this early.”

Oh, right! Ruby had almost forgotten.

Ruby grinned and slid her basket into the crook of her elbow so she could rummage through it. “I found some strawberries this morning. Ripe ones! And I wanted to share them with you. They’re my favorite.” She picked the ripest looking strawberry and held it up to Weiss’s mouth. “Here!”

Weiss started in surprise, and her cheeks darkened, turning almost as red as the strawberry in front of her lips. Then again, Weiss blushed fairly often, and she had already told Ruby not to be concerned about it when Ruby asked a little while back. 

Weiss glanced between Ruby’s eyes and the strawberry several times. Finally, she gave a small huff, leaned forward, and bit into the proffered fruit. Her tongue traced her lips to lick away the few drops of juice that managed to escape. Her eyes widened. She lifted a hand to cover her mouth as she chewed and swallowed.

Unable to contain her anticipation, Ruby blurted out, “So, did you like it?”

“Yes, it was really good.” Weiss’s cheeks were still flushed, but she was smiling.

Ruby’s insides fluttered. “I brought a whole bunch! I thought maybe we could eat them together.”

Weiss’s smile warmed. “I’d like that.” 

She rinsed the cloth she used in the bucket and hung it on the porch railing to dry. Then she picked up the water bucket and walked it over to the rose bush that had now taken up permanent residence in Weiss’s front yard. 

Ruby had offered to move it the morning after she made it grow, but Weiss wanted to keep it where it was. Under Weiss’s meticulous care, it had already sprouted eight white roses since then with many more buds on the way.

Weiss poured the leftover water around the base of the plant. When she was done, she turned back to Ruby.

“I’ll meet you inside in a little bit,” she said. “I want to wash up before we eat.”

Ruby nodded. “And I’ll start dishing whatever you’ve got cooking?” she said, half asking for permission. 

She could smell it from here, and her mouth was watering already. Somehow Weiss was able to take the same foods that Ruby ate all the time and make them taste amazing. It was like magic.

“If you could, that would be great. Thank you.”

Ruby’s chest swelled, and she grinned. She bounded up the porch steps and headed inside with Zwei tagging along at her heels. 

Weiss taking some time to wash up actually worked out in Ruby’s favor. If she hurried, she could surprise Weiss with the flowers she had hidden in the bottom of her basket. She just needed to find something to put them in like Weiss always did.

* * *

As Weiss spent more and more time in the Warden’s company, she soon discovered that Ruby was nothing like what Weiss envisioned the all-powerful, fear-inspiring Warden would be. Oh, she had her moments, especially when it came to her promise to keep Weiss safe. Her silver eyes would harden to darkened steel, and the air would grow thick with magic like the calm before a storm. But the rest of the time, Ruby was just so incredibly sweet.

How else could Weiss describe how Ruby had brought a whole rosebush to life just to give Weiss a flower in hopes it would cheer her up? Or even how she chose to spend the night simply because Weiss was anxious about being alone after hearing her father was still after her. And how after Weiss mentioned that she could use some company, Ruby unfailingly showed up at least twice every five or six days. 

Sometimes Ruby could only stay for an hour or two, but other times, she would spend the entire day with Weiss. 

If Weiss was weeding or clearing her garden of fallen twigs and leaves, Ruby would roll up her sleeves and join her. If Weiss was busy with some other chore that didn’t require assistance, such as sewing or weaving, Ruby would find some other way to keep herself busy. Once that meant building Weiss a new clothesline for her laundry; another time it meant helping Weiss crack and grind dried acorns in preparation of making acorn flour.

Some days they would hold conversations with one another, but just as often they would simply enjoy each other’s company. And when Weiss didn’t feel like staying at the cottage, they would take walks into the forest or even head down to the river.

“Weiss?”

Weiss blinked and looked up to see Ruby’s concerned gaze. “Yes?”

“Are you tired? Should we rest a while?”

Zwei, who was in his wolf form, nosed Weiss’s elbow gently and whined worriedly.

Weiss fought the urge to smile. The two of them were so much alike sometimes.

Weiss scratched Zwei’s head reassuringly. “I’m fine. I was just thinking.”

Ruby cocked her head. “Were they good thoughts?”

Considering the fact that Weiss had been thinking of Ruby and how Ruby’s presence had made her life so much more fulfilling in the past few weeks...

Weiss smiled. “Yes, they were.”

A corner of Ruby’s mouth curled up. “That’s good.”

Weiss’s own smile broadened. “Yes, indeed.”

Ruby ran her fingers through her hair as she continued walking, the movement catching Weiss’s attention.

Ruby’s hair was considerably neater now that Weiss had finally intervened about a week ago. Granted, there wasn’t a whole lot Weiss could do since Ruby’s hair had already been so short from her own attempts to cut it, but Weiss was still able to trim and neaten what was left. Ruby’s spiky-looking hair had been surprisingly soft between her fingers, and Weiss may or may not have taken her time trimming it. 

Unexpectedly enough, Weiss hadn’t been the only one quietly enjoying the moment. Apparently, Ruby liked the experience so much that she offered to cut Weiss’s hair for her as well. Weiss was quick to decline the offer but settled on letting Ruby help her brush her waist-long tresses instead. Thankfully, Ruby enjoyed that, too. Weiss suspected Ruby’s increased evening visits were precisely because she hoped for more chances to brush Weiss’s hair for her. Prior to that, Ruby’s visits had usually been during the day, either late morning or an hour or two after midday.

Weiss shook her head inwardly. Who would have ever thought that the legendary Warden would enjoy playing with someone’s hair so much? 

Even so, Weiss’s cheeks warmed as she remembered the soothing sensation of Ruby’s strong, careful fingers running through her hair between gentle brush strokes. Weiss never knew such simple intimacy could feel so good.

“Weiss?” Ruby asked again. She turned to face Weiss, walking backwards and yet somehow enviously able to avoid every obstacle.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sure Zwei would be happy to give you a ride if you want. We’d get there a lot faster.”

Zwei bounded ahead of them at the sound of his name and laid down in the middle of the game trail. His tail waved as he panted happily.

“You never did tell me how far we’re going,” Weiss said as she stepped over a fallen log.

“At the pace we’re going? We might get there by the time the sun reaches overhead.”

Dismay washed over Weiss. That was  _ hours _ away.

Weiss drew even with Zwei and ruffled his ears. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?” she asked him.

Zwei let out a happy whine and licked her wrist. His tail picked up speed, beating the air with a steady  _ thwap-thwap-thwap _ sound.

Weiss smiled as she gave him a few more scratches. “Then perhaps I will. I admit I’m not used to traveling such distances.”

She eyed Zwei. She had ridden on his back before, but she had been so utterly exhausted that night that she barely remembered it. Was she just supposed to climb on or…

Before her thoughts could go any further, a pair of strong, warm hands cradled her waist and lifted her easily onto the wolf’s back. Weiss thought she would slip off when Zwei rose to a stand, but Ruby wrapped her arm around Weiss’s hips to hold her steady.

Ruby glanced up into Weiss’s eyes. “All good?”

“I-I think so.” Maybe.

“We’ll walk first so you can get used to it. Go ahead and hold onto Zwei’s fur. Don’t worry about pulling or anything. He won’t mind.”

And so they did. Ruby kept her hand at the small of Weiss’s back, ready to catch her in case she did slip off, but it didn’t take long for Weiss to get used to Zwei’s movements. She had grown up riding horses after all, though she hadn’t ridden one in quite a while. Apparently, it was beneath a lady of her standing to ride a horse when there was a carriage available.

The moment Weiss relaxed, Ruby knew. The Warden grinned with approval. “Ready to go faster?”

Weiss could feel her own lips turning up into a excited grin. The sheer power and grace of the creature beneath her made her heart pound in anticipation. She could only imagine how fast he’d be able to move. “Yes.”

Ruby’s smile widened. “Remember to hold on tight, grip with your knees, and lean forward to help keep yourself balanced. Let’s go, Zwei!”

The wolf launched himself forward, and within seconds, they were off at a mile-eating pace.

At first, Ruby stayed with them, her lithe form running directly at Weiss’s side. When it was clear that Weiss was doing fine, Ruby shot Weiss a wild grin and blew past them, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake.

Weiss’s eyes narrowed. She leaned across Zwei’s back and tightened her grip on his thick fur. “Faster, Zwei, faster! Don’t let her win!”

Zwei howled and raced after Ruby. They were probably making a horrible racket and scaring away all the wildlife, but Weiss couldn’t remember the last time she felt so invigorated.

At last, Zwei pulled even with Ruby, and she laughed as he snapped playfully at her loose, billowy sleeve. Weiss’s chest felt so full that she could hardly breathe. Her own laughter bubbled out of her chest, light and breathless, and she was smiling so widely that her cheeks ached.

Ruby glanced back at the sound, and her eyes lit up upon meeting Weiss’s. It was as though Ruby was enjoying this moment just as much as Weiss was, and the thought sent a rush of warmth straight through Weiss’s core.

It was so strange. 

Who would have thought a shape-changing wolf and his silver-eyed master could have made Weiss feel so at home. It didn’t matter that they were an unlikely group composed of a magical beast, a legendary being, and a simple human. Here at this moment, they were one. 

Like a pack. Or perhaps...even like a family.

A part of Weiss wished the moment would never end, but end it did.

They eventually came to a breathless halt by a small, waterfall-fed pool at the foot of a mountain. Zwei stopped only long enough to let Weiss dismount before he dove into the pool. He alternated between splashing around and gulping the cool water thirstily.

Even Ruby had worked up a sweat. She rolled up her shirtsleeves and splashed water on her arms and face to cool down. Then she sprawled out in the shade of a tree for a little while before taking Weiss the rest of the way. They left Zwei at the waterside since he had already settled down for a nap after his swim.

Ruby led Weiss up and around to the other side of the mountain, and their path was barred by a steep cliff. Ruby brought them right up to it, and to Weiss’s surprise, Ruby suddenly wrapped her arm around Weiss and drew her close. 

Her silver eyes began to glow. She glanced at Weiss. “Things are going to get a little shaky, but don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”

Then she pressed her hand flat against the wall, and the air grew heavy with magic and the scent of roses. The entire mountain quivered and shook beneath their feet. Weiss lurched, but Ruby held her steady.

The wall crunched, and the sound of grinding stone filled Weiss’s ears. The cliff face split open to reveal a spacious cavern filled with a plethora of goods.

Weiss’s mouth fell open. She had seen merchant warehouses that only had a fraction of the number of goods she saw here. There were piles of leather, hides, and fur in one corner and rolls of cloth and wool in another. One section was piled high with rugs, tapestries, and drapes while another had wooden chests, elaborate vases, and other knick-knacks.

“What’s all this?” Weiss asked as she looked around with wide eyes.

Ruby let Weiss go and stepped away. She shrugged as she looked away. “The forest keeps what it takes. The dead don’t need these things anymore, but sometimes they’re useful to the Wardens. So we collect them when we can and store them away.”

_ Oh. _

Weiss glanced around the cavern again, this time with a somber mood falling over her. She wondered how many travellers and merchants had tried cutting through the Warden’s lands for the Wardens to have collected so many goods. 

Should Weiss feel sorry for the loss of life? On some level she did, but if the people were anything like her underhanded, self-serving, unscrupulous father, they likely deserved their fate. 

In fact, what bothered Weiss far more was the quiet tone Ruby’s voice had taken and the way she had backed away from Weiss just now. Ruby had slipped on her Warden’s mask, and suddenly, it was like there was a wide divide between them. They were not simply Ruby and Weiss anymore. Now they were the Warden and a human. The protector of a land untouched by human habitation and a child of the very humans who would have stripped that land of all its resources generations ago if they had been given half the chance.

A sharp pang struck Weiss’s heart and left it throbbing as she watched Ruby move away and walk deeper into the chamber. It was a few moments before Weiss could bring herself to follow.

“The steel fangs—swords—and leaf blades are over here,” Ruby said, her voice sounding normal again.

Weiss wished she knew what had just gone through Ruby’s mind, but she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to ask. No matter how much time they had spent together recently and no matter how fond of Ruby she was becoming, Ruby was still the Warden and Weiss was just a human. She did not want to risk overstepping her bounds over something that could have been nothing more than her tendency to overthink things.

So with an internal huff, Weiss turned her thoughts to a different question. Namely, what on Remnant was a leaf blade?

Ruby led Weiss to a veritable armory of weapons. Some had been collected into barrels, but a good number had just been left on the floor. Considering most of them were swords and spears, “leaf blades” must refer to the latter. It fit. A vaguely leaf-shaped blade at the end of a long “branch”. Ruby’s world-view was just so fascinating sometimes.

Ruby gestured. “Go ahead and take whichever you want.”

Weiss nodded and started searching through the collection. Most of the swords were made for soldiers far stronger and larger than herself and thus were too heavy for her. She found one that seemed promising, but the moment she picked it up, she could feel it was unbalanced.

Finally, she found one that felt right. It was a straight-bladed, double-edged sword with a crossguard that curved slightly towards the blade like a bow. The grip was wrapped in leather, and the pommel was a plain silver disk. It was a weapon meant to be used, not at all like the fancy but impractical ones that adorned her father’s keep that would bend or break the moment someone tried to use them in a real fight.

Weiss couldn’t wait to try it.

She headed out of the cavern and as soon as there was enough room to maneuver, she started going through her forms. The weapon became a silver blur and sang as it cut through the air. A wide smile stretched across her face as she shifted from one sword technique to the next. She had missed this feeling. 

When Weiss finally sheathed her new weapon, she looked up only to realize Ruby had been watching her the entire time. Weiss flushed, and somehow she was fairly certain that most of the redness in her cheeks had nothing to do with her impromptu practice session.

“You’re really good at that. Graceful and sharp like those small, colorful birds at the river.” Ruby made a sharp whooshing motion with her hand. “They dive into the water to catch small fish without wasting a single movement.”

Weiss searched her memories. “Do you mean ‘kingfishers’?”

Ruby shrugged. “I don’t know, but they’re pretty like you.”

Weiss’s cheeks felt even warmer than before. “T-thank you.”

Ruby smiled and then nodded her head back towards the cavern. “I know we came for your steel fang, but there are a lot of things here that I’m sure you could use. You should take what you need.”

Weiss felt a stirring of guilt. Ruby had already provided her with so much; taking more felt wrong. “Are you sure?”

Ruby’s straightforward response caught her off guard and made all her reservations vanish in an instant. “I want you to be comfortable here. Happy. So if these things can help with that, then you should have them.”

Weiss let out a slow breath and just shook her head. “Alright,” she said softly with a warm smile, “but I will pay you back someday. Perhaps when the first harvest comes in, we can share a meal or two.”

Ruby perked up instantly. “You’ll make more human food? Can I watch?” 

She had become unexpectedly fascinated with human cooking of late. Ruby was an extremely skilled woodswoman, but although she knew what forest plants, herbs, and spices were edible and which ones were not, she had never considered mixing and matching them for the sake of adding flavor to food. Apparently before Weiss came along, all of Ruby’s meals consisted of a little bit of ground rock salt sprinkled over roasted meat, raw or boiled wild vegetables, fruits and nuts she foraged for during the day, dried fruit and jerky, and simple one-pot soups.

“Of course.”

Ruby bounced in place with an excited grin on her face. “I’ll hunt and fish for you. Just tell me what to bring, and I’ll bring it.”

Ruby’s excitement made Weiss feel warm inside. Amusement colored her voice. “That’s still a long way away though. It’ll be at least another moonspan before anything is ready for harvest.”

Ruby nodded. “And in the meantime, we can make your den a home. Even my area of the den has all sorts of stuff that I’ve collected. Things that set it apart from the other spaces and make it mine. You should do that too.”

Weiss’s brow furrowed lightly. “Wait, your ‘area of the den’?”

“Mmhmm. Sometimes Yang and Blake aren’t around to snuggle with so I sleep on my own furs. It’s less lonely than sleeping in the big space all by myself.”

“Yang? Blake?” Weiss asked, barely able to keep the shock out of her voice.

Who were they and why hadn’t Ruby ever mentioned them before? And wait, they snuggled together?

“Yeah. They’re my family.”

Ruby had family? 

Unaware of Weiss’s inner turmoil, Ruby turned and headed back towards the cavern. “Come on. Let’s find you some new things for your den.”

Weiss stifled a sound of dismay as the chance to ask further questions slipped out of reach. And even if she asked, would Ruby answer? Weiss didn’t know. 

So in the end, she bit back her curiosity, ignored the strange pang in her chest, and followed after Ruby once more.

A nagging thought rose to the forefront of her mind. 

Weiss was always following Ruby, the Warden. She was always trailing several steps behind her. Always letting Ruby take care of her problems and soothe her worries. Always accepting her protection and comfort without giving anything back in return. Cooking for Ruby was a start, but surely there was something more Weiss could do.

Because more and more Weiss was coming to the conclusion that she was no longer satisfied by merely following or passively sitting by as things happened around her.

It was a ludicrous thought. Weiss was only a human whereas Ruby had access to powers that would make every power-hungry lord in the surrounding lands burn with greed. But the moment it crossed her mind, she couldn’t think of anything else she wanted more.

Would there ever come a day when Weiss would be able to walk beside Ruby as an equal? 

She hoped so. She truly hoped so.


	54. Pool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Pool Shark  
> Prompt: Pool  
> Writer: lostmydiezel  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostmydiezel/  
> A/N: I can’t thank HopeOfMorning910 enough for becoming the unwitting beta-reader for this piece.

I know you. I don’t think you’re aware of that fact.

You think you’ve got everyone convinced about your innocence, but I know you better than they do.

We’ve been roommates for years, and I’ve known how cunning you can be when around friends, especially when showcasing talents. I could see it in your eyes every time you’ve participated in anything remotely competitive. You were only half serious. More than happy to let everyone else win or take center stage.

I know you can hold your alcohol as much as Yang can, but you usually stop after two drinks at most. You quickly remind everyone that since you're a lightweight, you're the perfect choice to be the designated driver. We’ve always been grateful about it, albeit I knew we also took you for granted in that aspect.

That disappointed me. That I’m part of that group that takes for granted how generous you always are. you're the kindest person I know. You make me want to be better. And being around you makes my everyday better.

It’s why I fell in love with you. It hit me like a train out of nowhere when I finally acknowledged it. For a while, I couldn’t figure out what to do about it. Do I keep toeing that line or do I finally cross it? You're single. I’m single. So what’s stopping "us"?

We dance around this, but I think, no...I believe you like me too. Our eyes meet at the most interesting times, our hands brush more frequently under tables when we dine out. And we keep turning down blind dates set up for us by our friends, content to just hang out with each other.

And here we are now, in the basement, eyeing each other while separated by an eight foot green expanse of a table. I know what your eyes are focused on, even though you're trying to be subtle about it. I’ve given up on trying to do the same. I’m just going to stare and admire as blatantly as I can. The alcohol we’ve consumed has made all my inhibitions disappear at this point anyway.

I was surprised you agreed to this contest. Are you telling me you’re ready to cross that line? If that’s the case, I will be more than happy to lose. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to lose to you just because what might happen next is extremely appealing and quite frankly overdue.

I lean down on the table and do my best to concentrate. I have only one shot left before I win this current match. We will never admit this, but we’ve been sharking each other out as much as we can since this challenge began. 

And you’re doing it again as you lean forward and rest your elbows on the table, your figure very visible in my line of sight.

I draw my arm back, eyes trying to look straight forward in the line in front of me. I then sling my arm forward once I have found the best angle for my shot. My weapon of choice strikes its mark dead in the middle, and I watch with utmost satisfaction as it rolls toward its final target at the just right speed and angle.

The white ball with a middle yellow stripe slowly falls into the right corner pocket on your side of the table.

“I win,” I declare as I try my best to keep my eyes trained on your face.

“That you did.” You straighten back up from the table and reach behind your back to unclasp one of the two remaining pieces of clothing on you. A blush forms on your face, and it soon travels downward across your exposed skin.

My own skin tingles as I try to suppress a shudder and the desire that’s flooding my senses. I realize that the vision before me will make it very difficult for me to win the next, potentially final, game. To distract myself I raise and keep my eyes on yours, deciding that this would be the best strategy.

“One more game,” I remark, my voice noticeably hoarse.

Silver eyes challenged blue. A small laugh escapes your lips as you retrieve the sunken balls from the table pockets. “I think you mean two more to lose.”

I can only grin in response as I stack the different colored balls in the diamond rack. I know that this next game of strip pool is something that I will not lose.


	55. Fanfiction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Unreal  
> Prompt: Fanfictions  
> Writer: alpha91  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alpha91  
> A/N:  
> Hello fellow RWBY fans. I bring to you another of my bad creations. This one more horrendous than the rest. With free fourth wall breaks.  
> Story pointer: Don't take any of this into account. And everything out of context is really bad. This story is crack. So anything happening here will just happen for the sake of happening. Also this story almost represents how I came about to/stumble upon RWBY. So don't feel bad if I said anything bad about your favorite ship or story.  
> Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Mass Effect or League of Legends or Nier:Automata. If I did I would make some of the best fan theories canon (on all franchises). (Obviously the ones that don't directly affect the show)

The first time, Weiss was directly above Ruby. Who had just finished playing on her scroll. Weiss never liked the fact that Ruby played all that when she could've spent that time studying. And the game itself never represented anything interesting to Weiss.

It was this simple game with the player shooting other people that Weiss figured were the enemies. The main character (a female in case for Ruby) had to save her galaxy from other large beings called Reapers with her other alien friends. It was also a team effort since she always had two more squadmates with her. And that was all Weiss remembered from when Ruby went on and on about the game. Weiss never even bothered to check the game out, but that's more to the fact that she never played games in the first place. But the artworks Ruby stored and sometimes showed Weiss showed that Ruby was really passionate about the game. Ruby was so excited when the latest version of it came out. Seeing the blood and gore in the game Weiss doubted that it was suitable for Ruby. But seeing her kill grimm on a daily basis meant that she could handle that.

"Aw." Weiss' attention came down from her book. The book she held on but couldn't seem to focus on. She peeked out and looked down on Ruby having a pouting face.

"What happened now?" Weiss asked.

"They ruined the ending. It's the third time I'm playing the ending and I don't like any of the ones. This was so perfect until the end."

"And? Why would that matter at all? You finished the game they created." Weiss asked, finding the reason petty. “You can’t complain about what they made.”

"You wouldn't understand Weiss. It's my favorite game. The story was so good. She had so much potential for a good ending. But they didn't give her one."

Weiss' wanted to say something. But she pondered a bit. She wasn't the person for giving advice on video games.

"You know you can look up other writers that wrote their own versions of the ending." Blake chimed in from her bunk with her book still covering her faces. Weiss had to suppress the gag knowing full well that Blake wanted Ruby to go to fanfictions. And possibly to one of Blake's (in time).

The obsession with fanfictions for the faunus wasn't new. It was more of a side project for Blake. And Weiss saw the books she kept hidden. And if that said something about the cat-eared girl then she could only guess what type of fanfics Blake wrote. But before Weiss could retort, Yang spoke her piece.

"Yeah Ruby. You can even find the stuff Blake writes." Weiss internally facepalmed knowing full well Yang messed up. And Yang too saw an error in her judgement seeing Blake blushing madly. "Or maybe it's not a good idea for Ruby to go into fanfics yet." But hearing the screech all three knew it was too late.

"You write stories? There's stories of yours online? And they have stories about Mass Effect? Where can I find them? Where can I find them?" Ruby's high pitched voice seemed more excited and a few decibels higher.

Yep it's over.  _ The innocence I so adore is gonna be tainted soon. Wait adore? Where did that come from?  _ She thought while she saw Ruby jumping excitedly on Blake's bed almost hitting her head.

* * *

The second time wasn't far off from the first one. As fate would have it Ruby started her fanfiction journey. She had made an account and Yang forced her to specifically use that account and not another one. Weiss was glad that their version of the websites were age-restricted. And she was also relieved seeing that Ruby knew how to filter what she wanted. It was going smoothly as usual. Ruby would play the games (and not study, which still bothered Weiss). And afterwards read for a good half an hour and then sleep.

But as things are the way they are soon things started going a bit out of control. Ruby started to incorporate fanfics in her daily talks. And the moment she comes across a new thing she liked she would go straight to the fanfics of said thing. Weiss still didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad one. But seeing Ruby being happy reading made her think that it was positive after all.

Today however she was fuming. Weiss noticed that when they were having lunch and Ruby didn't bother touching her food. She had the face of a pissed off bear.  _ Aw she looks cute even when she's angry.  _ She stomped her way in the room after a busy day of school. Yang and Blake were still out in Vale. But the moment Ruby saw Weiss her mood seemed to lighten. She was still a bit angry. But now her face looked more like she was pouting.

"Weiss? Am I wrong?"

"What makes you say that?" Ruby came closer and got up Weiss' bed to sit beside her.

"I was in an argument with some people..."

Apparently there was a group of people that shared the same love for the current show she was watching and reading fanfics off. But the only difference was of the dreaded word Weiss only heard in passing.  _ SHIPS.  _ So Ruby being the careless one said that she shipped someone with someone. And the other bunch didn't like that. And mocked her that made her sad. They probably even talked down upon her.  _ How toxic. Wait till I know who they are. _ Weiss didn't know how to help Ruby. But she could definitely go for a little bit of revenge. But she needed to uplift Ruby's mood up first.

"Ruby you have to understand I'm not good with these things. I don't have these so called ships and characters. But I know you. You have a deeper connection to these characters. So I know when people say things it might hurt. But remember they are free to believe what they want and you are free to do the same. Some people are just insecure about certain things." The bare minimum of fanfics she read actually helped. Weiss couldn't believe it.

"And... And if they don't work out?" Weiss caught on knowing that Ruby might've asked about a certain relationship.

"Then in your heart it will live forever on. It doesn't matter what writers wrote. What matters to you is what you experienced. And happy while doing it."

Ruby's bright smile told Weiss that she was back to the cheery leader.

"So how are we going to get back at them?"

And Ruby's cute evil smile said everything. And they totally trashed the opposing team 2v4 the next day.

* * *

The third time Weiss knew she regretted everything.  _ How is that even possible? How can there be fanfics about us, Team RWBY? And also about the people around us? What the hell? How did we never see any of this? _

"Ruby I'm telling you it's a bad idea. You don't know who wrote those."

"Weiss. Don't tell me. I know it's a bad idea. I stumbled upon a story about a guy romancing all four of us. And even Ahri and 2B. I don't even know how that works."

Weiss wanted to stop herself from throwing up.  _ What kind of sickos write these stuff? _ She wanted to toss the scroll away from Ruby.

"But Weiss, maybe there are good fanfictions about us. I... I mean about team RWBY of course."

"Ruby." Weiss began but sighed at the younger girl. "I'm more concerned about the fact that you don't even remotely find it weird that people write about us. US. How do people even know us? We didn't even pass Beacon yet. And they say that there is a show about us? When was that a thing? What is happening?"

"Oh will you let it go Weiss. You think too much. Oh look I found the fandom. It's under  _ anime?  _ What? How are we an anime? We don't look anywhere near anime. Or we don't even speak that language. Now this concerns me."

Weiss was speechless. She had no words. Her leader seemed to think that being anime is more worrisome than people knowing and writing about them.  _ Do they know everything about us? Everything? No! They can't know. _

"Huh. For some reason the top fanfics are all Jaune related. I wonder why? Why is he the best ones when I'm clearly the main character." Ruby asked while she was fumbling with the scroll.

"Excuse me?" Weiss was clearly the main character here.

"Oh don't worry. I'm with the most number of stories and you and Yang almost tie for the second place." Ruby stated not looking up from her scroll.

She  _ almost  _ tied with Yang? What? Okay the world is crazy now. Nothing made sense. All she could hear Ruby say was how the writers of said fanfics got every detail of their appearance right. And it didn't bother her one bit after hearing her tie with Yang.

* * *

The fourth time she didn't see Ruby. Well she did see her running away from team JNPR's room. From what she gathered Ruby was fuming. And she didn't know why. But returning from the cafeteria she decided to indulge herself in the recent Rubyness.

Opening the door she found all four of JNPR. But with Nora laughing like a maniac like usual. Ren being unamused but holding a tiny smirk that almost seemed invisible. Pyrrha being hunched over to look at Jaune.

And Jaune the fearless leader, the flirting god, the one who didn't stop bothering Weiss for a date, lying on the floor. Weiss couldn't help but be amused at the scene. And something told her that Ruby punched the guy. Didn't know why or how. And the black eye she saw when Pyrrha helped him stand up told her that it was hard.

"What happened?" Even as she said that she couldn't keep in a small laugh from escaping.

"Ruby came in here all angry and punched Jaune. It was the most hilarious thing." Nora said overly simplifying things.

Weiss turned to look at Jaune. Who then spoke up.

"She had read the fanfics circulating around me." Jaune said as if it made full sense to Weiss.

"And the writers of said things wouldn't be you by any chance would it?" Weiss provided. Having seen Ruby making faces while reading recently, she gathered it was the one's that appealed to the male fantasies.  _ And Jaune is the prime candidate for such. _

"Absolutely not. Have you read those? I rarely talk to anyone other than my team and Ruby and well you." He said while looking away.

"So? Your point being?" Weiss asked getting more irritated by the minute.

"She read fanfics about me. She read a fanfic of me having relationships with all of team RWBY and picking you in the end. She even said she read one where I romanced all of you guys at the same time. She got mad while ranting those things. At one point she just said that romancing you and her at the same time is wrong and that I should stay away from your love. And then she just upped and punched me in the face. I still don't know what I did wrong."

Weiss was mortified. Ruby had been reading all those weird fanfics. And she punched Jaune for something he had no hand on? And what was that about all that love thing? But she could get Jaune off her back now.

"I hope you won't try anything with any of us now, right?" She even held Myrtenaster at the finish to show her threat.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm done. If trying to date you gets me a Ruby like that then I'm done." Jaune said, still rubbing his eye.

"You can find more willing fish next time maybe." Weiss said looking Pyrrha in the eye and leaving.

She could see the crimson look Pyrrha had the whole time.

* * *

The fifth time was a few weeks later. But this time Ruby was not around Weiss. Weiss felt that Ruby had been avoiding Weiss to some extent. She have her dinner quickly and return to their dorm to read. Her gaming had suffered a lot the last few months for the reading. But she didn't seem too into gaming lately.

Weiss today however finished (or rather abandoned) just after Ruby. Which surprised everyone. Since Weiss was the slowest eater.

When she went to the dorm she saw the room dark. Turning on the lights she saw Ruby under her blankets. She probably didn't see the lights turn on and thus didn't move. Weiss tip-toed to the bunk and got up using her glyphs. When she poked Ruby the younger girl gave out a yelp.

"Gahhhhh! Weiss! What... What are you doing here?" Ruby quickly came out of her blanket putting away her scroll.

"I live here you dunce. What are you doing hiding under the blanket?"

"Nothin... Nothing. Nothing at all." Ruby stuttered out. Hiding her scroll from vision more.

"Uh huh?"

"Honestly. I'm just reading, Weiss."

"Then why are you all red and sweaty?" Weiss probably shouldn't have asked that. Since she now could assume what Ruby was doing. "On another note, I don't need to know. I left my dinner. I'm gonna go eat that now."

Weiss wanted to escape the dorm now. She probably caught Ruby in her _alone_ _time_. _Does she even know what that is? Or how to... No! I'm not gonna think that. No matter how much I do at other times._ Weiss got down from the bunk quickly. And started to rush to the door only to stop when she heard Ruby.

"I was reading a story about us."

"Us?" Weiss asked, turning around.

"You know... Me and you." Ruby shyly answered.

"You and I. And what does that supposed to mean?"

"You know. We go out together. We hold each other together. We are girlfriends. We... We kiss each other." Ruby added drawing circles on the blanket. Her gaze still stuck on a spot on the bed.

"You're not pranking me are you?" Weiss asked totally speechless by Ruby's confession.

"No... No. I really am reading that."

"Why?" Weiss asked hopeful.

"I um... I just felt like reading all of the stories about us... Team RWBY I mean. And this one seemed to be about you and me together."

“I…. wha?….”

Weiss never thanked god more than the moment the door opened to reveal Yang and Blake come in. She was glad that Ruby didn't ask/answer anything else after that. And she didn't find the courage to.

* * *

Things were uncomfortable after that. Ruby didn't know if she pushed a little too far. And now Weiss avoided her any chance she gets. Ruby was sad. And it didn't feel right to get back into reading. Weiss would keep to herself. And leave any chance she gets. Such was right now, leaving on lunchtime. Ruby needed to fix this.  _ It doesn't matter if she accepts or rejects. I gotta say what needs to be said. And make it back to how it was before. _

"Weiss? Weissssss? You in here? You missed lunch." Ruby asked opening the door to the dorm. She saw Weiss on her bed with her face stuck to the scroll. "Oh there you are. I brought you lunch."

Weiss didn't reply. But the sob meant she was crying. This was the first time Ruby saw her partner cry.

"Weiss are you okay? Why are you crying?"

Weiss still didn't say anything. She kept on crying.

"Weiss what happened?" All Ruby could get was that Weiss was looking at her scroll and crying. So Ruby took it from Weiss without any resistance. Looking on it she saw a fanfic open. She read a bit and knew which one this was. This was one of her first one. She had a rollercoaster of emotions on that. It was sad at times and really cute at others. And by the bit she red Ruby knew which bit Weiss had just read. "Weiss, listen, it gets better. Don't worry. The story finishes on a high note."

Weiss still cried slowly. But this time she spoke. "Ruby? You'll never leave me like that will you?"

Ruby was taken aback by the question. On one hand she knew it was just a story. But it was so well written that it felt real. And she too shed tears reading this bit. And now seeing Weiss do the same Ruby felt that she needed to comfort her partner.

"No Weiss. I'll never leave you. And neither did the Ruby in the story. She comes back. She just needs a little help from the Weiss." Ruby said while trying to soothe the older girl by rubbing her shoulders and giving a side hug. "Ruby never leaves Weiss. And Weiss never gives up on Ruby. That's what we said didn't we? That we'll be partners forever."

No one knew who moved first. But no one complained either. All that they knew was fanfictions were not just fanfictions. They were stronger. They were more inspiring and more heartfelt to a lot of people. And Ruby felt Weiss now believed.

And the kiss felt as good anyway. The stories never got that right. So they should stop trying to show how good. It felt unreal.


	56. Salem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: The Darkest Choice  
> Prompt: Salem  
> Writer: Winter1112

_ It is lonely here and I miss your light _

_ -Ranata Suzuki- _

Six months have passed for Weiss. Six long months of wondering, of worrying, of long restless nights that seem to offer her no hope for rest. Ruby is still a prisoner of Atlas, along with Yang, and the sisters are soon to be tried for their failed assault on the government complex. The only part that was successful was the assassination of Jacques Schnee by the enigmatic assassin the Black Snow, and she has no intentions of wasting even a sole tear for the monster.

A whirlwind of a six month span as she watches three year's worth of lost moments she will never be able to reclaim in Summer's brief life, her love having committed every second possible to video, a habit she has taken to in return. As she works daily with Headmaster Ozpin to undo the brutal conditioning forced upon her by her father as well as the military industrial complex of Atlas. As she forces herself to accept the fact that three irreplaceable years have been stolen from her. 

Summer has been her solid anchor these past six months as she has healed in mind and soul, and the precocious and bubbly reddish black haired wolf girl always keeps her on her guard.

But for the past week, she has been receiving mysterious texts from an unknown number. The message is always the same, no matter the time of day, and always cryptic in nature:

Meet me where your life truly began…

It is a riddle she could answer from the moment she viewed the very first text, the airship docks where she and Ruby first met. The explosion in her own mind was no less spectacular than the one that sent the two girls flying, and she knew in her very soul that the rabbit faunus with an unnatural love for cookies was to be her future. But now, it may in fact be a future cut too short due to the Reaper's quest for vengeance. Her desire to see her lost love freed may end up costing her her precious life.

Meet me where your life began…

Leaving Summer with an excited Nora and calm Pyrrha, she ventures forth, her curiosity finally overriding her instincts. Arriving at the epicenter of the explosion, she has to choke back a sob at the sight of the symbol she and Ruby chose to represent their love inlaid in that very spot in beautiful dust reinforced stone.

A white rose glimmers in the light of the moon, it's beauty outshining the dull stone surrounding it.

"It certainly is beautiful, is it not?" A woman calls out quietly. "I dare say it almost outshines all else that could be drawn up in comparison save one sole thing."

"Please, do not force my grief to rise once more." Weiss begs as she searches for the source of the voice. "My heart is still rent asunder, and I fear for my own demise were my gentle rabbit to be executed by my father's sycophants."

"Forgive me, Princess of the far north. I meant you no further pain." A woman appears from the darkness, her virtually translucent skin crisscrossed with dark veins, as her bone white hair sits upon her head in several tight curls. But what is most telling is the eyes which capture her own in a gaze that she finds to be almost familiar, despite the scleral orbs. 

"I feel as if I should know you." Weiss admits quietly. "Forgive my ignorance if I in fact should, milady. I mean no disrespect."

"There is none to worry for, child." The woman replies back calmly as her hands stay at the sides of her black and red robes. "My name is Salem, Princess of the hinterlands, and I come to offer you a chance to rescue your beloved."

"Milady, I fear you mean to mock me." Weiss replies with a growing anger. "Atlas is the mightiest of the four kingdoms, and even a combined force stands no chance of reaching the city proper where my beloved and her honored sister await the mercies of the noose."

"Of this we are in agreement." The woman replies in earnest. "But, I am not an unfortunate resident of the four kingdoms." She explains patiently. "I am in fact the ruler of the continent of Darkness, and the chosen handmaiden of the Goddess who reigns supreme along my sacred borders."

The younger woman blinks as she takes an instinctive step backwards. "Now I know you, milady! You are the Queen of the Grimm, and the sworn enemy of all the huntsmen and huntresses who live!"

The woman holds up a hand, an indulgent smile upon her face. "I am merely the mouthpiece of Her Dark Majesty, Princess. The instrument of her unholy will upon Remnant fair." She declares. "And she wishes to make a bargain with you, Weiss Elizabeth Schnee."

"A bargain? With a Goddess?!" The wolf faunus woman stares in shock at the older woman. Did she not realize the dangers in such a folly? "Why should I listen to your words?" She asks heatedly as she draws and raises her trusted Myrtenaster defensively.

"Because Her Dark Majesty also wishes to see your beautiful Reaper freed, Princess. As long as Atlas holds the last of the silver eyed warriors captive, threatening to end her existence, the world is in great danger of being swallowed whole by a darkness greater than even her own." She explains calmly. "She has bade me come to Beacon in haste, for even a Goddess has fears."

Weiss stops to think. She knows of the story of the brothers, as well as her own studies when a future in the service of the Goddess of Light, the Light Brother's Daughter as one of her fighting clerics appealed to her. But then Winter abdicated her place as heiress and Willow vanished under strange circumstances, hence placing her firmly in an unwanted role. And now something frightens the Dark Brother's daughter enough to send her voice piece out into the world? 

Just what kind of horrors has her father done now?

"Speak your terms." The fencer declares calmly. "For as much as I believe that there is nothing that can challenge the power of a Goddess, I shall give you a chance to prove me incorrect."

Salem nods as she smiles. "Her Dark Majesty offers you the command of her Grimm, to use them one and all as you see fit to rescue your beloved. But she expects your servitude in exchange." She declares firmly as the two women lock eyes.

"Would I be forever denied the touch of my love?" Weiss asks quietly, even as she mulls over the offer. The Grimm, the enemies of all of Remnant, under her command. Is such a thing even possible?

"That is something that even a Goddess cannot control, especially one who is the antithesis of Life and Light, Princess. But the power she offers you, combined with your own innate and formidable abilities, would make you nigh unstoppable." She points out as she holds out a pale hand. "Accept her offer, Princess of the North. Accept a power that can only be rivalled by the power of the silver eyes. Help Her Dark Majesty and her sister, The True Light, restore the balance of this world."

Reaching out, Weiss takes Salem's hand firmly. "Betray me, and I shall storm heaven and hell both for my vengeance, which shall be swift and violent." She replies firmly. "Nor shall my child be touched."

"Children are held sacrosanct to Her Dark Majesty and the True Light both." Salem replies as the ground begins to bubble and roll beneath them, swallowing them slowly. "How can they have future worshippers if there are no children raised to worship them?"

Weiss nods as they vanish, her stern look replaced for a single moment with one of sorrow. "Forgive me Summer, but I must rescue your mother before she is put to the sword…"

* * *

Atlas is in flames. The Grimm, led by a pair of titanic Behemoths broke through the feeble defensive lines present when they emerged from the darkness, a mere fortnight after Weiss vanished with Salem. They showed no quarter to the thousands of mechanical soldiers that stood before them, yet not a single innocent soul was touched, and the various huntsmen, huntresses, and specialists were merely contained instead of killed. 

They all, hunter, soldier, and civilian all heard the clicking of her heels. They all bore witness to the paleness of her skin. They all shrank from her burning red eyes as she cast her gaze about them all, a familiar rapier upon her hip and escorted by the largest Alpha Beowolf and Boarbatusk Prime ever seen. One and all, they all knew they bore witness to the true Queen of the Grimm, as they watched the dreaded monsters genuflect before her, including the gargantuan Behemoths who forced Atlas back to the ground as it attempted to rise into the air unsuccessfully.

"Weiss!" A voice calls out as a ginger haired woman calls out to her, waving a black gloved hand and wearing her accustomed colors of green and white. "Weiss! Please! Hear me out! Spare Atlas from your continued fury! Do so and I shall free Ruby for you!"

Weiss stops and turns slowly upon her heels, her now red eyes focusing upon the Android who her love once considered her best and truest friend. "And why should I trust you, robot?" She replies with a growing sneer upon her pale lips. "You, who held the power to free her, yet allowed yourself to remain a puppet of this racist, cursed land?"

"Because you have slain my own captor, Weiss." She replies firmly as she points to the remains of James Ironwood, her Grimm still feasting upon his fear soaked bones while bending and ripping the metal from his flesh to reach all they could in their unending hunger. "And as repayment of my debt, I am willing to free my beloved friend in your name!"

Weiss snorts as she locks her fiendish gaze upon the machine girl, sensing no fear from her. "Such a thing I can do on my own, with no assistance from your false hands." She replies bluntly. 

"Then allow me to serve you in repayment of my debt!" She cries back. "For I owe you a boon in exchange for my long desired freedom, Your Majesty."

The wolf faunus woman stalks forward slowly, her eyes fixed upon the ginger haired machine as she considers her proposal. A loyal servant to protect her child, whom she has already taken back from Beacon quietly would be of benefit. The robot feels no real fear, no true anger, only simulated ones that can be kept repressed to insure her beloved pup's safety. "Very well. Go and free my beloved from this place. But know this, betray me and I shall never tire of discovering new ways to torture you. It shall never cease to amuse me as I rule my Grimm for all eternity." She declares as she motions for her guards to allow the android leave to exit the corale.

"We have a bargain, Your Majesty." Penny replies firmly. "Allow me to make haste to your Reaper's side and guarantee her freedom before rejoining you."

"Very well, my daughter's new protector." She declares as she turns slowly to face the humans and faunus both being corralled by her armies. "Know this, people of Atlas! You only live because Her Dark Majesty, the Goddess I now willingly serve, desires it. But, refuse to change your ways after this particular lesson. Refuse to realize that you are all the same in the end, and that my Grimm view you all as nothing more than their next meal, and I shall return. I shall put you all to the sword, and allow my Grimm to feast!" 

She listens to the murmurs, the whispers with an evil smile while watching Penny fly away quickly. She never hesitated a fortnight ago when she leapt into both pits, sacrificing her mortality and her humanity to save her beloved Ruby. She would do it again if she must, for she now indeed knows the truth: That there is indeed an evil even greater than her dark deity and her cursed father waiting to devour all of Remnant. And to keep her beloved safe, along with her child? She would willingly jump a thousand times if necessary…

* * *

"Friend Ruby!" Penny calls out as she simply rips the door away and steps into the cell where the rabbit faunus and her sister languish.

"Penny!" The Reaper cries out as she rises and embraces the Android joyfully. Releasing her, she looks about warily. "What is all the noise about? Is it true, and the Grimm conquer Atlas?"

"It is, but it is not." Penny replies hurriedly as she steps back. "Ruby, I fear I do not have long, and I bear the sad duty of informing you of a terrible decision made by Weiss."

"Weiss?" The Reaper asks as she shakes her sleeping dragon of a sibling awake. "Yang, we must away upon the swiftest of wings. The Grimm make to destroy Atlas, and we are neither in any condition to join the struggle to repel them."

Yang snorts as she rises slowly, her strong right arm conspicuous in its absence. "You can still join the battle, my beloved sibling. I fear that save a miracle from the True Light, my days of being a warrior are now behind me."

The rabbit faunus opens her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Penny. "Ruby, you must heed my words, for I do not have long." She calls out. "Ruby, Weiss claims to now command the Grimm. A claim that can be verified by mine own eyes, as I witnessed them genuflect before her in respect."

"What?" Ruby whispers as she stares at the android in surprise and dismay. "Why would she do such a thing, my truest friend? Did she not trust in me and my honored sister to secure our freedom with your noble assistance?!"

"For that very reason, Ruby. Pray listen, she has accepted my request to serve her faithfully in exchange for the freedom I have always craved. Once we arrive upon her new home, I shall send you word of our location." She explains hurriedly. "Only you can perhaps dissuade her from what is no doubt a decision made in madness and grief."

The woman nods as she aids Yang to her feet slowly. "Take care of her until I arrive Penny. I shall make all haste to you once you send me your signal." She replies calmly. "So long as there is a shred of the love we have left within her, I will do all I must to return the woman I love back to the light."

"And if that is not possible, sister?" Yang asks calmly as she struggles to be as little of a burden on her sibling as possible.

"Anything is possible with love, Yang." Ruby smiles back as Penny leaves them to their own devices. "And as long as a breath remains within me, I shall never surrender." She continues as they slowly exit their cage.

Yang smiles as they begin to walk down a corridor and towards an open door. "Then we all go together, sister. We are a team, and together we all will bring Weiss back to herself."

"Together then." The Reaper agrees. "Together we shall succeed, and Weiss and I shall once more lay beneath the blue skies and muse upon Summer's future…"


	57. Photograph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Photograph  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: this is a continuation of the other prompts I've written for this AU. no title this time, I'm lazy ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

In the evening the day after the all-hands meeting, Emerald followed through as promised and joined Mrs. Schnee and her family for dinner. While waiting for Ruby’s arrival, the CEO offered a tour of the modest house. In the living room, she met the couple’s child, Nicky, watching cartoons on the TV.

Emerald follows Weiss to the mantle. Above it is a large framed photograph of Ruby and Weiss. “This is our wedding photo.” The couple dressed as a prince and princess; Ruby is garbed in her formal military uniform while Weiss elegantly wore her pure as white as snow wedding gown. The photograph is framed horizontally, with Ruby holding Weiss’s hands on the far left, and the train of her gown effortlessly flowing in the wind on the right. Weiss said it took ages to compose this shot.

“It’s lovely, Mrs. Schnee.”

“Thank you.”


	58. Habit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Bad Habits  
> Prompt: Habit  
> Author: DorkSeverus04  
> Link to author:   
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/DorkSeverus04  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/~dorkysev  
> Warning - implied child abuse

Ruby had been watching Weiss for a while. It’s what partners do, after all. They watch over each other so that they can help the other grow. However, Ruby had been watching Weiss for a certain reason. She noticed that the heiress had some particular habits, depending on how she was feeling. 

Whenever Weiss was nervous, her left hand would grab her right wrist. Depending on how nervous she was, she’d grip hard enough to leave marks.

Whenever Weiss was irritated, she’d cross her arms, and her index finger would tap on her arm.

Whenever it was quiet, Weiss would tap on the table with her pencil or her finger. The only exception was when Ruby or Yang were making noise, or they were asleep.

Of course, Yang and Blake knew those habits just as well as Ruby did, but there were two habits that Ruby knew that no one else did. 

Whenever Weiss is sad, she shuts down and pushes people away. And when she lied, she would never look into Ruby’s eyes.

Other people would think that Weiss was just moody and trying to concentrate on her studying, but Ruby knew that it wasn’t like that. It scared her whenever Weiss shut down and locked her out. At first, she thought that it was because Weiss didn’t like being near people and needed to study or something. 

That wasn’t the case.

Ruby caught her by accident once. She saw Weiss shaking, alone on the roof as she held herself, mumbling about being a failure. Not wanting her to think that anymore, she had a talk with her white haired partner.

“Weiss.” She walked towards Weiss and stopped a few steps away.

Weiss jumped and stared at Ruby in fear. “Ruby! What are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you.” Ruby frowned and took a step forward, offering her hand to her. “Are you, uh…. Ok?”  _ Please don’t lie. I can clearly see that you’re not. _

“I’m fine.” Weiss turned away from Ruby.

The brunette frowned and took another step, reaching out towards her partner, but stopped herself. She let her hand drop and sighed as she moved next to Weiss and looked over the school. How could she make Weiss open up to her? “Weiss… If something’s wrong.” She looked at her partner again. “Can you promise that you’ll tell me?”

Weiss hesitated and looked over the school as well as she thought about the question. A few minutes passed before she looked at Ruby. “If I remember.”

“You promised.” Ruby gave a weak smile. It was better than nothing.

* * *

Ruby sighed. This was the fifth time that Weiss shut her out. She found Weiss again on the roof and moved next to her, staring into nothing as she leaned onto the fence. They were both silent, until it was suffocating. 

“Ruby.” Weiss sighed as she looked at her partner. “What are you doing here?”

“You promised to tell me if something was wrong.” Ruby stated simply as she turned to look at Weiss. “We’re partners. It’s not a good habit to try to solve whatever’s bothering you on your own.”

Weiss merely scoffed as she turned away. “Don’t you think I know that?”

“Why won’t you look at me when you’re lying then?” Ruby challenged and crossed her arms. She frowned as she saw Weiss leaning more onto the fence with a sigh. “Weiss, you’re upset about something. At least don’t hide it from me.” The brunette placed her hand over her partner’s and gave her a sincere, worried look.

“...I didn’t think that I was  _ that _ obvious.” Weiss sighed as she moved her hand to hold onto Ruby’s. 

Ruby gave her a soft smile. “I wouldn’t have thought about it, but then I remembered that you had this habit of never looking into my eyes when you lie.” She giggled softly and intertwined her fingers within Weiss’. “Will you tell me what’s making you sad? Test scores? I’m not a good enough leader and partner for you?”

“You’re fine how you are, Ruby.” Weiss interrupted and squeezed Ruby’s hand. “Though you are right about the tests.” She sighed. “I remembered how my father…” The heiress felt like she didn’t have to finish that sentence. “To put it simply, old habits die hard. I used to hide from my father, but I could still hear his voice.”

“But you’re not with him anymore.” Ruby frowned. She couldn’t imagine what happened to Weiss as she grew up. Just the thought brought tears to her eyes. “And you don’t have to deal with that anymore.”

“I know.” Weiss gave a weak smile. “I still need time to get used to this.” She sighed and turned towards Ruby, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you for worrying though.”

Ruby grinned and held her back. “Of course, Weiss! You’re always taking care of me! It’s my turn now!” She nuzzled against Weiss’ head. “You’re still smart and beautiful. I’m so glad to have you as my partner.”

Weiss blushed and looked away. “Don’t say that, you dolt!”

“Are you looking away because you’re embarrassed or because you like it when I compliment you~?” Ruby teased.

“Figure that out on your own!” Weiss still blushed, but was internally smiling. She was glad to have Ruby as a partner. If she was going to try and break old habits, it might not be such a bad idea to make a new habit of spending more time alone with Ruby. It felt… nice. “Oh, and while we're on this subject…” The heiress stared at Ruby. “ _ You _ have bad habits as well.” 

Ruby gasped and took a step back. “W-What's that supposed to mean?”

“When you're sad or feeling bad, you have this habit of listening to music loudly.” She frowned. “I was... actually waiting for you to come to me about it first, because we're partners.”

“Guess we both had bad habits of keeping our negative thoughts to ourselves?” Ruby laughed and took both of Weiss' hands, knowing that if they worked together, they could make this bad habit into a good one.


	59. Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Dog  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: I wrote this as part of my YouTuber!Ruby AU

After settling into their new home, Ruby found herself alone in the grand house. Weiss frequently travels for work, and that left little company on her end. The YouTuber expressed her grievances to her girlfriend; to make up for Weiss’s absence, they decided to expand their family.

“So my dad’s neighbor’s dog gave birth to a litter—”

“And Zwei is the father?”

“Yeah!” Ruby cheers. “And they’re giving away PUPPIES!”

The stars were aligning. It was perfect.

They played with a handful of puppies for hours. One puppy from the litter gravitated toward the two, declaring the couple as its owners. The resemblance to the father was uncanny, a corgi mutt, and absolutely adorable. Ruby informs the owner of their decision, and they’re given privacy in the den.

Ruby lists out what they need for a dog. “We’re gonna need food and water bowls, a dog bed, a kennel, toys, a leash—”

“Train it,” Weiss cuts in sternly.

She shrugs. “Sure.” She holds the small puppy to her chest. “But I get to name it.”

Weiss strokes the puppy in Ruby’s hands. “Fine.” Ruby kisses it before letting it down. “What are you going to name the dog—who, by the way, will be with us for a very long time, so think wise—”

“Zwei II.”

Weiss falls silent at this.

Should she tell Ruby that Zwei meant “two” in German, which she’s fluent in, and thus essentially naming the dog “two two?”

She decides to keep it her little secret.

“Zwei II it is,” she smiles fondly.

She’s too cute for words.


	60. Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Story Title: Clouds  
> Prompt: Clouds  
> Writer: 0neWhoWanders  
> Link to Writer: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4054014/0neWhoWanders  
> A/N: This was a bit more somber than I was going for, but that’s what happens when you write at 4am.

“What does that look like to you?” Ruby raised a hand, pointing up at a mess of incoming rainclouds.

Weiss watched as they gently sailed past, floating along currents of air, and unhelpfully blocking out the shine of the midday sun. “It looks like it’s going to rain soon,” Weiss replied. That meant their time together was at an end. Yet, when she tried to rise from her spot on the cool grass, Ruby pulled her back down.

“That’s not what I meant!” The redhead giggled, holding steadfast to her wrist, keeping her locked in place. Not that she truly cared. Loath as she was to admit, she had often enjoyed these moments with her best friend. And the feeling of her warm hand on Weiss’s cool wrist was enough to send her heart fluttering in joy and stomach twisting in panic.

Ruby pointed up in the same general direction where she had pointed to before. “C’mon Weiss-y. What’s it look like to you?”

“A dark cloud,” Weiss responded dutifully. “And I hate that nickname.”

“No you don’t. And no, like the shape.”

“A big cloud?” Weiss guessed, sneaking a confused gaze at Ruby.

“Weiss. Have you ever looked for pictures in clouds before?”

“Erm- I’ve looked at pictures of clouds before. Does that count?” Weiss was delighted that her little joke earned a beautiful chuckle from the young Reaper laying beside her. “I’ve had a very sheltered childhood. You know that.”

“I do, but Weiss. It’s like the easiest thing ever. Just… just look at that one over there. See the big bit over there, and then the little wispy bit at the end. Oh, and those lighter longer bits in the middle. Doesn’t it look sorta like a dragon to you?”

Even following Ruby’s finger, Weiss scrunched her eyes. She just could not see anything in it, other than clouds. She heard Ruby huff, realizing that Weiss was still lost.

“How about this one. See that big cloud that looks like a circle?”

Weiss nodded, “I do.”

“Well, it’s a circle! Congratulations, you’ve just witnessed your very first cloud shape!”

“Ruby!” Weiss squealed, feeling a thin finger poking her cheek. She rolled over onto the young reaper, as the girl descended into laughter, barely listening to Weiss’s retorts. With a devilish smirk of her own, Weiss jabbed a finger into Ruby’s side, sending a shiver through her body and even harder laughter at having been zapped.

Happy giggles continued; for how long, neither were quite sure. But eventually, the bright sounds tapered off into a quiet hum from Weiss and hiccups from Ruby.

“We should do more of this,” Weiss said, rolling onto her back, turning her head to gaze into Ruby’s sparkling silver eyes.

“Hmm?” Was Ruby’s charming reply. “More of what?”

“Of this,” Weiss gestured around the two of them. “Of just spending time together. No classes, or homework, or…”

“Or sisters and sister’s totally-not-a-girlfriend of a partner?” Ruby laughed, which caused a short chuckle to erupt from Weiss.

“Indeed.”

“I’d like that.”

Weiss’s heart was pounding. Ruby had said ‘girlfriend’. It was very much not in the context that she had long since hoped for, but just hearing that word from those perfect lips was enough to said her heart aflutter and cheeks aflame. And those two dashing eyes were still looking into her own. So happy, so vibrant, so completely filled with life’s joys. She only then realized that they were holding hands.

Not that she minded. Not that she would ever tell Ruby that she did not mind. At least… at least not yet.

There was a much more important topic to be brought up before they spoke about specifics of touching, and it involved the word that had sent her mind in a tailspin. She knew what she wanted, but it was becoming easier each day to bring herself to say it. But that time wasn’t yet here. That was alright with her. Weiss was laying next to a beautiful girl, their hands clasped together, though Weiss made sure to look like she had not realized. And it was a beautiful day. Warm, but not too hot. A gentle breeze rushing through the grass, sending up delightful smells and calming sounds.

It would have been a great day for a picnic. Especially one with a significant other.

Finally having enough of her spiralling thoughts, Weiss broke eye contact with her friend and looked back up into the sky, hearing Ruby sigh and do the same. The silence which lingered wasn’t quite as calming as the one which had just preceded it. Though their hands were still clasped, the lack of talking felt stifling. As if a silent question had been asked and left unanswered. Weiss was unsure who was the querier and who was the queried.

“It’s a cowboy on a horse,” Ruby muttered glumly, not even bothering to point to the cloud or clouds she was looking at.

Weiss scrunched up her nose, trying hard to spot what her friend was seeing in the clouds. “I think I see it.” Weiss didn’t.

Ruby let out a half-hearted snort. “You scrunch up your nose before you tell a lie.”

“I do not!” Weiss huffed indignantly.

“You just did it again.”

“Fine,” she rolled her eyes and Ruby squeezed her hand. Weiss let go.

Almost immediately, Weiss felt emptiness. Lacking that feeling of warmth on her palm, as well as the pressure of their interlocking fingers. It was like she was missing a puzzle piece that completed her. In less than a second, she felt lacking. She felt purposeless. She felt dozens of fleeting emotions, which all could be neatly summarized in sadness.

It frightened her how much that loss of contact was effecting her. How much stronger those feelings were than they had been only a few days before. Stronger than they had been only a day before. She was confident that they would be stronger tomorrow.

“I see a… ” Weiss’s eyes swept through the sky. White puffs of cloud were mixing with the darkening greys of storm clouds, crossing over one another into beautiful abstract shapes. None of which, to Weiss’s eyes looked anything akin to real life. She sighed, finally giving up. “Fine. I can’t see anything. It all looks like blobs to me. Happy now?”

“A little. I would never have expected that great and beautiful and perfect Weiss Schnee to admit she couldn’t do something,” Ruby retorted.

“I’m not perfect,” Weiss breathed out, her lips contorting into a tight frown.

“I know. But you are my partner and my best friend. And that makes you perfect enough for me.”

_ Oh Ruby, you don’t even know what you’re doing to me. _ Weiss turned so Ruby couldn’t see the blush which filled her face. She placed her hands over her chest, trying in vain to slow her pulsing heartbeat. Then a new thought occurred to her. There they were. Alone together. Looking at clouds, bodies and faces so near. They had spent time holding hands, feigning that they hadn’t been. And Ruby was not smiling as much as she had been only moments before.

With as much courage as she could muster, she turned, blushing face and all, to look at Ruby. In another feat of bravery, she reached over to grasp her hand.

“Feel that?” Weiss could feel her own pulse through her palm. It felt like a loud rhythmic beat in her ears So loud she was confident Ruby could hear it, let alone feel it through their clasped hands.

“I do,” Ruby whispered, looking into Weiss’s eyes with curiously hopeful orbs of silver.

“It’s what you’re doing to me. We’re lying here and I have no bloody clue what’s going on up there, but I do know what’s going on down here. Or, at least I’m starting to.”

Weiss paused and let Ruby suck in a loud breath of air through her nose.

“I really do think we should do this more often. And I really want to. With you only. Not with your sister, or your sister’s girlfriend. Though… I wouldn’t mind doing this with my girlfriend. If you would have me?”

Ruby looked down at their connected hands, then back up to her eyes. She inched her way over until their shoulders rubbed up against one another and gave Weiss a full smile. There were no more words shared between them that afternoon None were needed.

All they had left to do was continue looking at the clouds. And whether they could see any new shapes in them, it no longer mattered. Because on the ground, something better was taking shape.


	61. Demon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Demon  
> Writer: Opalthehappypanda  
> Link to the writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/opalthehappypanda  
> A/N: This ended up being twice as long as I had planned.

It isn’t often that Weiss gets dragged out of her apartment, but today her sister Winter came by and picked her up saying something about needing a second pair of eyes to look for furniture for her new house. Weiss only agreed because Winter said they’d get coffee and breakfast on the way. 

“Where are we going again?” asks Weiss after she has had her first cup of coffee and can function like a normal human being.

“We’re going to IKEA Weiss. I need your help to find a new couch for my living room. Whitley spilled something on it and I can’t get it off, so I’m just going to buy a new one.” says Winter as she looks for an empty parking spot. Which would seem easy with how big the IKEA parking lot is, but it seems the world is just against her today. The one open spot she saw was taken by some ugly red sports car.

“And you needed my assistance, why? I had plans today.” pouts Weiss. Her ‘plans’ were to just binge Game of Swords. Blake said it’s really good for a book adaptation.

“I can’t just want to spend time with my little sister?” Winter smirked when Weiss mumbles ‘I’m not that short.’ under her breath. Winter got blessed with their father’s height, and Weiss got their Mother’s. “Besides you haven’t left your apartment in a week. Do you even have any groceries right now?”

Weiss didn’t bother to respond to that, knowing that the answer is no, Weiss just been ordering and eating take out. Weiss has definitely gained a few pounds, but a few hours at the gym can fix that. When she feels like it.

A few minutes later Winter finally finds a parking spot way in the back of the lot, and the Schnee sisters start their walk to the IKEA front doors. Weiss tossed her empty coffee cup in a trash can as they walked inside. 

It’s crowded. People are everywhere and children are screaming from their little playroom. Gritting her teeth Weiss follows Winter up the escalator to the showroom floor. Stepping off of the escalator Weiss does a quick scan of the area and already feels a bit overwhelmed at all of the displays and signs. There are even arrows on the floor to help guide people through the belly of IKEA.

“I think we might need a map,” says Winter with a slight frown creasing her brow. 

“No shit,” mumbles Weiss under her breath before speaking up. “And where do you think we can find a map Sister?”

“There’s one right behind you Weiss.” points Winter. Weiss whips around to see a tall blue sign that shows the layout of the floor and the floor below them. Taking a second to study the map Weiss notices there are little arrows that guide you through the floor. How considerate of them.

“It appears we just follow the arrows on the floor,” Weiss follows the arrow on the floor not looking to see if Winter is following her. Winter just hums and catches up with Weiss in three easy strides.

Even when following the flow of foot traffic it takes them 20 minutes to find the sofas because of how many people are bustling around. Weiss blames Winter for deciding to do this on a Saturday afternoon. Finally, after passing an elderly couple they find the sofas. Winter leaves Weiss to go look at a couch that caught her eye. Weiss glanced at the couch that is sitting right next to her and looks at the description.

_ What the hell is a Friheten? _

A bit confused Weiss looks at the next couch and sees another weird word.  _ Gronlid. _

“Are these even real words? Friheten? Gronlid? And klippen? What the hell is wrong with IKEA?” mumbles Weiss under her breath, not noticing a small gust of wind behind her. Shrugging it off Weiss just turns around and goes to find her sister. The sooner they can find a couch that satisfies Winter, the sooner that Weiss can go home and watch season 3 of The Game of Swords.

* * *

The rest of their time at IKEA consisted mostly of arguing over which couch to get and wondering where they buy the couch they did pick. Deciding to just follow the arrows Weiss and Winter eventually found their way to the warehouse only to realize that they didn’t know where to find their couch. It took them 30 minutes to find an employee who could help them and then another 20 to find the couch.

By the time Winter paid for the couch they had a different problem on their hands. 

The box.

Winter has a nice compact medium size car, but it isn't really made for transporting a 3ft by 5ft box. Weiss managed to open the trunk access from the backseat and they just tried to shove the big and heavy box in the trunk. Well, Winter did the shoving as she's physically stronger and Weiss just yelled at her from inside the car.

Eventually that got it to fit by moving up Weiss's car seat as far as it can go and had the box at an angle to maximize what little space they have.

On the way home Weiss sat in her seat and glared out the window. It doesn't matter how much she misses spending time with her sister, this isn't how she would have wanted to spend her time with her. Helping people move stuff is more of something Blake would do, not Weiss.

At least Winter bought Weiss another coffee as a thank you for her help before dropping her off at campise.

"Thank you for helping me today, Weiss. We should get lunch sometime soon and really catch up." Says Winter as she parks in Weiss's dorm parking lot.

"I'd say it was no trouble but that would be a lie," grumbles Weiss. "But it was nice. And lunch sounds great. Bye Winter." 

And with that Weiss got out of her cramped seat and walked to her dorm building with one last wave to Winter. Weiss waved her key fob in front of the dark grey scanner by the door and pulled the door open when she heard the click. Sighing she tosses the empty coffee cup she forgot she had in the garage can as she pressed the button to call for the elevator, and then just waited.

"So how's the big sister?" Weiss jumped at the voice of her roommate and will forever deny the yelp that definitely didn't come out of her mouth.

"Blake! Do you have to do that? Where did you even come from anyway?" Weiss doesn't know how she does it, but Blake is so quiet when she walks it's like living with a real Ninja. And with how much black the girl wears Weiss can almost believe she is a ninja.

"I was in the common room when I saw your sister's car in the parking lot." Blake points a thumb in the direction of where Winter's was parked. Which you can easily see through the big tinted windows. "And who's your new friend?" 

Weiss frowns. Blake is looking behind her. Turning around Weiss only sees the walls and the front door she came through. "What are you talking about? There's nobody else here."

Blake opens her mouth to respond but the elevator doors open and Weiss walks into the belly. Weirdly the elevator smells like roses. Pressing the button for the 4th floor, Weiss looks at Blake waiting for her to get in the elevator. After a moment's hesitation Blake follows with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. Something just feels off, but she's not sure what. She was sure someone was with Weiss.

"So where did your sister take you?" Asks Blake as the elevator doors close.

"We went to IKEA to pick out a couch, why?" Blake almost never asks about Winter, she's not a fan of the Schnee family, with Weiss being the only exception. And she has never asked any questions about them before.

"Did you read out any of the …  _ weirder _ words out loud?" Blake ignores Weiss's question. Her gut is telling her Weiss did. 

"Yeah, why?" Weiss is starting to get annoyed at Blake not answering any of her questions.

Blake didn't say anything for a few seconds just internally panicking. Weiss probably summoned a demon and didn't even know it. Everyone knows that you don't just  _ say _ those weird words at IKEA out loud. Even rumors have some truth to them.

The elevator doors open and Blake grabs Weiss's hand and drags her to their shared dorm room. After closing the door she locks it and silently activates the salt spell she has on the door that keeps supernatural out or in depending on which side they're on. Sometimes being a bit paranoid just makes you more prepared.

"Blake what are you doing? What's going on?" Weiss rips her hand away as soon as they enter the dorm and she hears the door lock; that puts her on edge.

"I think you summoned a demon and now it's following you." Good job Blake, straight to the point. Just drop it all on her at once why don’t you?

"What." Deadpans Weiss.

"Okay, let me explain," Blake holds up her hands to try and keep Weiss calm; demons get stronger with emotions. "You know those rumors about how trying to pronounce those weird words at IKEA will summon a demon or something?"

"No," that's the most ridiculous thing Weiss has ever heard. Demons aren't real.

"Oh, really? I thought even you have at least heard about that." Knowing how sheltered Weiss was growing up this shouldn't be a surprise. And it's going to make explaining this even harder if the demon doesn't just show himself/herself. “Weiss, demons are real and they don’t always play nice. I’m being serious here. You need to trust me.”

“Do you know how crazy you sound right now, Blake? What you are suggesting is ludicrous. And what kind of proof do you even have? What evidence do you have to back up your claim?” Weiss pinches skin between her eyebrows to try and sooth the headache she’s starting to get. “I’m going to go take a shower and try to forget this conversation even happened.”

Blake silently curses herself for not explaining the situation to Weiss properly. Now she’s stuck just observing for any changes in Weiss’s behavior. There’s bound to be something to prove that Blake’s gut feeling is right.

* * *

Getting ready to take her shower Weiss stood in her bathroom starting at herself in the mirror. Demons aren’t real. There’s no way. But what Blake said about a demon following her… it scares her more than she’s willing to admit, even if it is just superstation. And now that Weiss thinks about it, it did kinda feel like someone has been watching her since she left IKEA with Winter. And when Blake met her at the elevator she acted like someone was behind her.

Weiss shakes those thoughts away and starts to warm up the shower water before hoping in.  _ Blake is just getting in my head. There’s nothing to worry about. I bet she’s just trying to prank me. _ No matter how many times Weiss repates that to herself, she can’t quite bring herself to believe it.

Outside of Weiss’s shower curtain some rose petals floated down onto Weiss’s pajamas and melted into the clothing, leaving no trace that the petals were ever there. Later when Weiss got out and dried off she noticed that her pajamas faintly smell like roses. Thinking that that’s a bit weird she puts them on anyway and forgets about it.

That night Weiss fell asleep after eating Mistralen take-out and binged The Game of Swords when the demon she accidentally summoned appears at the side of her bed and quietly watches Weiss sleep, observing her with almost glowing silver eyes. Leaning down a little the demon lightly brushes some of Weiss’s bangs off of her face. Humming the demon lets her fingers slowly trace the shape of Weiss’s face, feeling the smoothness of her skin.

“I don’t know why, but I am fond of you human. Your hair shines like the moon, you may have some Angelic blood in you,” gathering some of her magic into her fingertip, the demon carefully drags her finger down the left side of her face, just missing the eye and cutting right through the eyebrow and stopping at her cheekbone. “So I’ll mark you as mine, my little Angel.”

* * *

The next morning Weiss woke up a headache and a sharp pain on the left side of her face. Sitting up she brings up a hand cradling her aching head, but feels some resistance of the blanket. Letting her hand drop Weiss turns and finds a person sleeping on top of her blankets. There’s a beat of silence before Weiss screams and launches herself off of her own bed and scrambles to find something that could act as a weapon to defend herself.

The woman in her bed sits up with a yawn and Weiss is able to get a good look at what she looks like. The first thing Weiss notices are the horns resting on her forehead. The horns are black and curve to the back of her head. The black horns contrast with her short and kinda messy red hair, and the image just hits Weiss so hard she almost drops her textbook turned improv weapon on her foot. The textbook slipped out of Weiss’s hands when she made eye contact with the woman in her bed.

Something about those bright silver eyes just draw her in and calm her. Before Weiss can fully succumb into whatever trance was happening, a sharp pain flashes from her mark on her face. Weiss hisses in pain as she clutches the mark with both hands. Breathing through the pain Weiss hardly notices the strange woman standing in front of her. A hand falling on top of her head along with the pain suddenly fading brings Weiss’s full attendant to the horned woman in front of her.

“Hello Weiss, I am Ruby, I’m the demon you summoned yesterday.” Ruby smiled and let her hand slide off of Weiss’s head. “How are you feeling my little Angel? Does the Mark hurt?”

“You- what do you- Demon?” Weiss can’t quite understand what’s happening right now. Somehow Blake was right about demons being real, and about the fact that Weiss had somehow summoned one without even realizing it,  _ and  _ marked her. What does that even mean?

“Ah, I can see that you have lots of questions, and I’ll answer all of them but first lets eat some breakfast, hmm? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.” without warning Ruby took one Weiss’s hand and dragged her to the small kitchen, sat Weiss down on her couch and started to cook breakfast for the both of them. 

This is turning into one of the weirdest days of Weiss’s life.

* * *

Ten minutes later Weiss has a plate of eggs and toast in her hands with Ruby the Demon sitting next to her eating a plate of the same thing. Slowly Weiss picks up a slice of toast and takes a bite expecting it to taste like ash or just straight up kill her. But it tastes just like normal toast. After swallowing her bite of toast Weiss takes a bite of the eggs, and to her surprise there good to. Cooked just right and scrambled just the way she likes it.

“I thought- I didn’t think demons could cook.” said Weiss after swallowing a mouthful of eggs, she does have some kind of manners afterall. 

“Cooking is fun. And human cooking is always so good, and it gets better every century!” Ruby shoves another bite of eggs in her mouth.

“Riiight.” deadpans Weiss. “So… what did you mean when you said you ‘Marked’ me?”

“Hmm? Oh,” Ruby quickly swallows her food. “I put just a little bit of my magic into you so anyone who can feel magic knows that you’re mine. And I’m very protective of what’s mine, little Angel”

Weiss gently traces the mark on her face, thinking about what Ruby just said about the mark's meaning. Suddenly it feels like someone dropped a log on Weiss’s shoulders with how heavy this new information feels.

“So I’m like a… pet to you?”

“Hmmm, I guess so in a sense. But I’d like us to be more like friends. The other demons in hell aren’t the best to hang out with. And I am very fond of you, little Angel.” Ruby turns and looks Weiss in the eyes when she offers a kind smile, a sharp looking fang peeking from her lips. Weiss finds it oddly cute. Adorable really. 

“Why do you keep calling me your ‘little Angel?’” asks Weiss. It feels like it's more than just a pet name, and aren’t Angels the achemenies to demons?

“Your hair.” Weiss waits for Ruby to explain but she doesn’t. Weiss decides not to push it for now. Ruby doesn’t seem to want to go into detail and there's no point in pushing the demon. 

“We're gonna be best friends! And your Witch friend is just going to have to deal with it!” beams Ruby.

“Blake is a Witch?” that kinda explains how she ‘saw’ Ruby yesterday. And all of the candles. Weiss is too overwhelmed to really think about that right now. I wonder where Blake is anyway?

“Yep! And a powerful one too. But enough about her,” Ruby takes Weiss' empty plate and puts it on top of hers, and in a blink the plates disappear from her hands.

“Wait where did the plates go?”

“Your sink.”

“You just magiced the dishes to the sink?”

“Yep. It’s a really easy spell, I could probably teach it to you. But I want to watch a movie. I heard they’re in color now!” Ruby looked at Weiss hopefully and blinked, unleashing the full power of her puppy dog eyes. Weiss resisted for two seconds before giving in.

“Fine, give me a sec.” blushing Weiss stood up and grabbed her laptop from her room. Making sure it’s fully charged, she unplugs it and sits down next to Ruby again. Logging in she launches a streaming service and waits for it to load.

“What is this thing?” asks Ruby, who is staring at the laptop with wonder.

“It’s a computer, I mostly use it for school work but we can watch movies on it too.” explains Weiss as she navigates the streaming website and brings up a list of all the movies available.

“Amazing.”

“So what do you feel like watching?” asks Weiss.

“Hmm, something funny with death.” grins Ruby. Weiss just sighs and pulls up Happy deathday. 

Just as Weiss hits play Ruby circles her arm around Weiss shoulders and brings her closer, Weissing head resting on her shoulder. Feeling surprisingly comfortable Weiss relaxes in Ruby’s arm and eventually falls asleep like that. Ruby follows not too long after.

Blake finds them like that an hour later and dumps a bottle of holy water on Ruby. Her screams of pain wake up Weiss and she screams at Blake for pouring water on her laptop. There was lots of screaming and they got lots of noise complaints the next day. 


	62. Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: A special errand  
> Prompt: Holiday  
> Writer: Muffin_Fox5
> 
> Summary: She trusted Ruby, but this shift from her usual work ethic drove Weiss suspicious

Up at the crack of dawn with the help of either her energetic green eyed metal friend or her enthusiastic girlfriend, followed by a rushed and adequate breakfast geared to give her the energy to get through the day. With their food scarfed down, a briefing detailing the areas that they were meant to be deployed at was quickly followed with a non stop period of training to follow after their hunt. It was this routine that drilled itself into the exhausted ex-heiress, but Weiss knew it was a necessary step to better follow down her desired path of becoming a seasoned huntress. She hated it, but she understood the agency in this routine. It was this agency which justified the alarmed state she was in as she groggley checked her scroll and found that she was late to their morning briefing by about 4 hours. 

“Morning sleepy he-ACK!!” Under normal conditions the biggest reaction Weiss would have given to her girlfriend’s cheerful voice would have been an annoyed groan as she crawled out of bed...instead of the explosive leap out of her bed and crashing into her girlfriend’s figure. After an audible thud running out as Weiss collided her forehead to her girlfriend’s own brow the couple took a few seconds to lament the pain of the impact before Weiss spoke up.

“Ughhh...ignoring whatever logic possessed you to stand that close to my bed. Do you mind telling me why you aren’t with the rest of our team right now…or why the alarm to my scroll,  _ mysteriously _ , neglected to work?” Weiss asked, the sarcasm behind her feigned ignorance of what had befallen her scroll thickly spread over the word, “mysteriously”, sending Ruby into a guilt riddle chuckle as she glanced away from sour white haired girl. “Ruby Rose...what scheme have you conducted now?” It was the accusation that she would invent something so nefarious that snapped Ruby out of her nervous chuckle and spurred her to hop up from the floor of their dorm so she could address her lover's accusations.

“How dare you missy…” Ruby said, the pout on her face revealing her wounded pride to the unfazed Schnee, “...I am a dignified huntress, so we don’t do schemes…” Then just as quickly as the pout had appeared, it was replaced with an excited smile as she took her girlfriends hands into her own and lightly tugged her forward. “We only do plans, and this huntress has a special plan that requires her special girlfriend. So no time for dilly dally!” With that Weiss was dragged away from her bed and towards their bathroom, a mixture of confusion and suspicion swimming around in her head as Ruby kept her intentions obscure from her girlfriend while the two dressed to get ready for the day.

* * *

The lack of offered information was certainly setting off a series of red flags in the middle Schnee child’s mind, but it was difficult for Weiss to uncover her girlfriend's implications when she was too busy focusing on Ruby’s uncovered shoulders. Instead of her standard combat gear that she had been wearing for the past few weeks, tube top shirt with a simple jean skirt and some black legging and a simple pair of sneakers to complete the civilian look that Ruby was going for. 

In between the small moments of time she wasn’t fantasizing about decorating her girlfriend’s neck and shoulders with the crystal white lipstick Ruby bought for her, Weiss couldn’t help but ponder what would possess Ruby to act so...well...pedestrian. She forwent bringing her scythe with her, Ruby dressed in completely unassuming clothes, and shere she was skipping happily down the streets of Mantle with the suspicious Schnee’s hand in her own. The mystery of Ruby’s actions, (also her infatuation with her girlfriend’s exposed flesh, not that Weiss would admit to that out loud), had taken up so much of the ex-heiresses attention that it took Ruby’s reflexes to keep Weiss from colliding cheek first into the glass door in front of her. 

“That was close, what’s the matter Weiss you usually aren’t this...well...like me.” Ruby said, a short giggle quickly following the end of her sentence as she glanced away and towards the ground as a blush started to creep up on her face. “It was actually kind of cute, you were staring at me a lot on the walk over here.” Another short giggle left Ruby’s lips, this time coaxing out a small blush from her on her own girlfriend’s face. 

“I...we...well I was just…” The fact that her entranced stare was a product of her intrigue of her girlfriends actions coupled with her desires born from her girlfriends pedestrian clothes made it hard for Weiss to properly string together a sentence that provided an adequate enough explanation for her empty stare directed at her loving leader. So she just changed topics and pretended she didn’t hear what Ruby said, despite her blush proving she possessed hidden thoughts. “So why did you want to go to a…’ _ pets paradise _ ’...wait, we’re at a pet store? We skipped out on the morning briefing and our huntress work so that we could buy some pet supplies?” 

“Not just supplies…” Ruby said, closing the gap between her and her girlfriend’s side so she could wrap her own arms around Weiss’s left arm, “...we’re also going to buy toys as well...you do remember what today is right?”

“A day with a wasted morning?” Weiss responded, her tone dry and humorless as she glanced over at the clingy girl attached to her side. A response Ruby wasn’t entirely too happy to hear going off the pout and huff of air she blew in Weiss’s face.

“No grumpy genny, it’s Weiss’s birthday today!!” Ruby said, her mood shifting from a brat like pout to her usual enthusiastic smile. A smile that normally Weiss would love to be graced with, but right now Weiss was too distracted by this strange shift in priorities for Ruby.

“If you seriously expect me to believe that you had us skip out on this morning briefing, and our huntress work just so that we can shop for Zwei...who is hundred upon thousand of miles from us right now, well that would honestly be a tad bit insulting Ruby Rose.” Weiss said, her side glance evolving into a full blown stare as she turned her head so that her own crystal blue eyes could meet with Ruby’s silver eyes. Weiss could tell that the response wasn’t something that Ruby was expecting going off the shocked expression on Ruby’s face as she delivered her answer. It hurt her to see, but Weis wanted to get to the bottom of what Ruby was up to. “Ruby...what’s going on?” A few seconds of silence followed between the two after Weiss’s question had been asked, then Ruby took a deep breath in and out before she answered her girlfriend’s question. 

“I just...I...I don’t think I’ve been a very good girlfriend lately.” Ruby answered, this time prompting a shocked expression on Weiss’s face. Weiss was confused, but she stayed quite so that she could give Ruby the opportunity to talk, “I mean I’ve just been watching how Blake and Yang have been acting around each other, and also Nora and Ren’s relationship has clearly grown since when they were at Beacon and...I dunno it’s just that we’ve been dating for a while now and I just feel like I should be doing more for you as your girlfriend then what I’ve been doing lately and well…”

“You convinced Ironwood to let you have today off so that we could spend it together right?” Weiss said, only interrupting at this point since she understood her girlfriends intentions at this point. Instead of words Ruby let out a nervous giggle in response to her girlfriend’s guess, confirming to Weiss that she had hit the mark perfectly with her guess. “First off Ruby, Yang and Blake are both afraid to move forward with their relationship so who knows how long they’ll be stuck in this self imposed limbo they put themselves in, and secondly Nora and Ren have no idea both have different priorities right now and aren’t communicating that properly. You should not be using them as a relationship reference right now.” Weiss said, patting her girlfriend on the top of her head right before placing a small kiss where her hand had been, coaxing out a small giggle from the scythe-wielder. 

“I understand you want us to be a better couple, believe me I wish I knew how to get us to the level that Blake's parents are at, but right now we need to be focusing on the mission right now. Complete our training, and ensure that the construction on Amity tower is complete.” Weiss said. She couldn’t see her girlfriend’s face, but she could definitely feel the disappointment emanating from the younger girl right now. A disappointment Weiss understood, after all Ruby only did this so that the couple could spend more time together. “But...since you already took the initiative to grant us a free holiday I say we enjoy it while we can.” And just like that, the cheerful and trademark smile that Weiss knew Ruby for was back in action. With an excited squeal to once again sell her excitement wonderfully, Ruby began showering her white haired girlfriend cheek with a slew of kisses as a sign of thanks for her girlfriend. 

“Eeee your the bestest best girlfriend ever Weiss!!” Ruby said, this time wrapping her arms around Weiss’s neck and pulling her into a tight hug. An action which spurred Weiss to let out a scoff and roll her eyes, but still with a goofy smile engraved on her face as she returned Ruby’s hug by wrapping one arm around her waist. 

“All right, all right you. Come on we’ve loitered in front of this store long enough, let's make sure Zwei still knows how much I love him.” Weiss said, a suggestion that Ruby was all too happy to follow along with. 


	63. Bed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Bed  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: YouTuber!Ruby AU oneshot

The sound of rain is one of Weiss’s favorites. 

The best thing about it was the variation. But you still knew it was rain pouring from the skies. Loud, thrashing, storming weather kind of rain was her least favorite. It was unpleasant to live a day under those dreary conditions.

The rain pattering outside was perfect. The drizzling played like a symphony. Speaking of, she and Ruby were in the living room watching  _ Fantasia _ —another favorite of Weiss—she insisted they play classical music to their child. Her girlfriend had a different approach to the idea:

_ “But Britney Spears’s discography is classical music!” _

She begrudgingly shut down that suggestion.

Raindrops rapped the large windows of the living room, accompanying the music to the movie.

“Do you want some more congee?” Ruby’s question snapped Weiss out of her thoughts.

“No, thank you.” Weiss shakes her head, and her girlfriend takes their bowls away. She already had three servings of the rice porridge.

Ruby returns moments later, and the two resume and finish watching the movie. Ruby yawns. Then it gets quiet. The sound of rain envelopes the room. 

Weiss inches closer to Ruby, cups her girlfriend’s cheek, and brushes her thumb over the comforting warmth of her skin. Ruby does the same. A reflection. A mirror. Weiss notices her girlfriend nibbling her lower lip in effortless concentration. Like she doesn’t even have to try hard to look back at her.

She flips a lock of white hair over her shoulder and sighs. They don’t experience much rain. And when they do, she doesn’t even notice it—Ruby tosses the concept of a gloomy day aside to a whole other plane.

A smile forms on Weiss’s lips. A smile, she promised, only reserved for Ruby. “I have the ability to sing every love song from all walks of life,” Weiss whispered, “From the moment man discovered love itself to a budding romance of a young couple’s first crush.” Ruby breathes out a laugh. “But none of those songs, Ruby Rose, could ever describe how I feel about you,” she confessed naturally.

Ruby squeals. It makes Weiss laugh, too. “No no no no no no no. I’m supposed to be the cute romantic one,” she cries and falters, “Ow ow owww. My heart!” Ruby dramatically clutches her chest. 

And she was right. Between the two of them, Ruby was the more hopeless romantic one. It was a surprise to Weiss… and somewhat a surprise to her as well. But the signs were all there: the flowers after every show; the evening candlelit dinners; an endless, priceless record of intimate massages; on rare date nights, the two would dress to the nines—serving the whole package. It was all… extremely very sweet. And extremely very Ruby.

Even with her proclamation, there was no way she could top that.

Weiss lets out a yawn of her own.

“Ya tired?” Ruby asks her with sleepy eyes.

“Mhm.” Her eyelids fell over her vision. And she tried. She forced herself awake.

Ruby props her head up. “Why don’t we check out the baby’s room?” She flashes a toothy grin. “I did something you might like.”

Weiss only raises an eyebrow. “I ‘might like?’”

“I don’t wanna get your hopes up.”

Weiss extends her hand out for Ruby to grab. An infant baby was really in her body. The middle of her last trimester had the entire neighborhood on its toes. She practically rocked herself off the sofa, and Ruby led her to the room dedicated to the baby.

Step after step, they climbed all the way to the second floor. Weiss realized she was somewhat winded walking those steps on the way to the baby’s room. They stopped though. Right in front of the door. Before she turned the knob, Ruby looked Weiss in the eyes. “Do you mind closing your eyes before you see it?”

She does so in lack of protest. “I will. And I will fall asleep.” Ruby chuckles. All Weiss feels now is gentle footsteps walking onto the barely used carpet and her girlfriend’s hand guiding her in the room. The presence of Zwei II startles her a bit. They stopped after two steps.

“Okay.” She can hear Ruby’s voice wasn’t close to her as before. “You can look now.”

Her eyelids fly open to see a large piece of furniture she only saw in dreams—buried deep in her wildest imagination. “Is that a bunk bed?” She flabbergasted. Standing in the center of the room was a double bed on the bottom bunk perpendicular to the single bed on top.

“Surprise!” Ruby crossed over to Weiss. “I built this while you were asleep or rehearsing. After we visited your home in New York, I was inspired; been working on this ever since.” Weiss gave Ruby a crushing embrace—her massive baby bump in the way. “You like it?”

“Ruby, I love it!” Weiss sat on the bottom bunk, next to Zwei II. “I’ve always wanted this since I was a kid!” Tears were swelling in her eyes. The brightest smile was on Ruby’s face—and it was a reflection of her’s. Their hands touched, fingers intertwined. She was still in awe of the red covers matching perfectly with the white pillows.

“We can sleep here tonight, if you want.” Her suggestion broke Weiss’s thoughts.

“Really?”

“Of course!” She stood up to show the ladder. “This part’s stable, so it won’t collapse. And I made this part”—referring to the bottom bunk—“more like a loft space; this is just a cot, so it’s functional.”

With a tissue Ruby pulled out, Weiss dried her eyes as best she could. “Yeah! I would love to sleep here!” She sniffled.

“Great!” Ruby starts climbing. “I call top bunk—”

“Why do you get top?”

“One: you’re pregnant—nothing in the pregnancy books said anything about sleeping on the top bunk,” she informs her. “Two: Yang always gets top bunk during summer camp—please, Weiss, let me have this.” Ruby pleads.

Weiss pouts. “All right.” 

“Yay!” 

She turns up at Ruby again. “But Zwei II is staying with me.”

She walks over to flip off the lights and crawls back in the bottom bunk. The top of Ruby’s head peeks in front of her—her hair hanging down. “I love you, goodnight.”

She looks up at the underside of the top bunk. “Goodnight. Love you, too.”

Weiss was wrong. Ruby can outdo herself when it comes to romance.


	64. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Regrets  
> Writer: Phoenixhare  
> Link to Writer:   
> Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixHare  
> FF.Net: https://www.fanfiction.net/~phoenixhare  
> Tags: Modern AU, Childhood Friends

Hey Weiss,

It’s been, what, 6 years? I miss going to the Mainland a lot, going to our old hangout spots and eating the food. I’m not avoiding you or anything; I’m just really busy with the family farm. It sounds like an excuse, but it’s actually the truth. Xiao Long Farms on Patch is really thriving, even Yang and Blake are helping out.

Actually, there was a lie, and it’s why I’ve been trying to write to you these last six years. Text? E-mail? Well, whatever. I don’t want to avoid you anymore. I’ve been trying to be in contact with you and it hasn’t gone well since we parted ways on the port. I had no idea you would have moved back to Atlas for college though. If I knew then, maybe I would have given you my answer.

You see, it’s been on my mind lately... that night… when you told me you liked me. I couldn’t give you my answer because I was young, scared, and didn’t know what to do next. Having grown up and thinking I’ve accepted a life where you aren’t in it, I learned how much I still need you. Yang and Blake, seeing them all lovey-dovey with each other, it made me think about us and how I stupidly let you go that night.

I remember how we were always together, side by side. We would see everything Downtown Vale had: The fountain plaza where we first met as children, the café where we loved to eat and talk after school, and even the port where we last saw each other. Everything we did was fun when you were there with me. I wonder if it was the same for you. Looking back on it, I dragged you everywhere, huh? It was always what I wanted to do and you just went along with it. Was there something you wanted to do back then? Was there food you wanted to try? We should go do the things you want to do one day, if we ever meet up again.  _ When _ we meet again.

I have a lot of things I want to, no,  _ have  _ to tell you in person. I don’t think a measly note will do it justice. Leaving you unanswered and scared is not right. Not by my standards. I was your best friend and I kept words from you that I need you to hear. And until you hear them, I’ll not give up trying to reunite with you.

I wonder if you feel the same way for me though. Do you still want to give us a try? Or have you completely moved on? I really miss you, and if you have moved on from me, I understand. I’ll be there to support you in anything you choose to do, even if I’m not in the picture. I no longer want to put off these words I need to say to you. If this keeps on going, I know it’ll be a big regret.

Your best friend and more,

Ruby Rose


	65. Phone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Phone  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: I wrote this as part of my YouTuber!Ruby AU

It was the start of another semester. Weiss found Ruby bundled in layers upon layers of blankets on the sofa. She looked like a cacoon. A phone and notepad sit on the coffee table next to her.

Weiss sat down near Ruby’s feet. “What are you doing?” Weiss gently asked, almost in concern, but avoided showing it.

The answer out of Ruby was one she didn’t expect. “I need to make a dentist appointment.” It was so simple. But the biggest thing in the world for Ruby.

“Okay…,” Weiss encouraged her to elaborate.

“I have phone anxiety,” squeaks out of her.

“How did you make appointments before?” Weiss asks, resting a hand on Ruby’s leg.

“Well, my dad did it… then when I started university… Yang. It’s been a year since the last time I saw the dentist, my tooth kinda hurts, so it’s ‘bout time I saw them.”

“Do you need help calling them?”

“Actually…,” Ruby drawls, “I was hoping—”

“No.”

“Why not?” she whines.

“‘Cause I’m not your dad… and I’m not Yang.” Ruby pouts. And Weiss doesn’t give in, not even a flinch. “You know what we can do?” She pats Ruby’s knee.

“What?”

“We can roleplay.”

Ruby’s brows furrow at the idea. “Uhhhhh….”

“The phone call, you dolt,” Weiss snaps.

“Oh, I thought you meant…," she chuckles nervously.

Weiss rolls her eyes. “Yeah right.” Ruby chews her lip in anticipation. “You ready?” she asks sweetly, with the utmost amount of patience coating her voice.

Weiss gives Ruby a minute to respond. “Okay," she sighs, "Hello?”

“No, I say hello.”

“Oh.” Ruby taps her phone, pretending to dial numbers. “Boop boop beep boop beep—” She raises the device against her ear. Weiss makes a phone sign with her hand.

Weiss makes a ringing sound effect, earning a chuckle from Ruby across from her, “This is the dentist’s office,” her laughter incites, “this is Kara, how can I help you?”

“Hello,” Ruby says nervously, “I would like to make an appointment, please.”

“Alright, and what’s a good date and time for you?”

“Friday at the latest time, please.” She found that incredibly cute. Her etiquette wasn’t formal or elegant, but rather comforting and warm. It reminds her of all of the times the two went out for dinner; since Ruby and Yang worked in food service, she was always careful to be extra polite.

Weiss makes up a plausible time for the moment. “Does this Friday at 3:30 work for you?”

“Yes, ma'am,” Ruby squeaks again.

“Okay, what’s the name for this appointment?”

“Ruby Rose.”

“Alright, you’re all set.”

“Thank you, have a good day.”

“Thanks, you too. Bye.” She relaxes and flashes Ruby a smile. “Good job! Are you ready to call them now?”

Ruby nibbles her bottom lip in thought. “Yeah.”

“Do you want me to stay or go?”

“You can stay.”

“Okay.” Weiss shuffles on the couch cushion, pulling up an invisible barrier between them. “You can do it, Ruby.”

She watches as Ruby reaches over for the phone and dials the dentist. She says everything they’ve rehearsed—saved for a few spots for improvisation. Ruby scribbles her appointment details on the notepad. Weiss throws in a thumbs-up of approval toward the tail end of the conversation. Ruby hangs up with a grunt, yells from the base of the throat, tossing the phone on the floor, and ripping the blankets off her body in seconds.

“Yay! You did it!” Weiss claps. “I’m so proud of you!”

Ruby hugs a throw pillow over her chest. She has such a happy grin on her face. “Thanks, Weiss.”


	66. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Warmth  
> Author: gaymerkree  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree

Vale is  _ hot _ . It’s sweltering,  _ scorching _ , it’s really,  _ really _ warm. Well maybe not the  _ hottest _ place on remnant, but it’s certainly much warmer than Atlas. Weiss had moved to Vale in early spring and  _ that _ had been warm, now in the dead of summer she was  _ suffering _ . 

“Hello?” Blake’s voice was raspy, like she’d been taking a nap when Weiss had so rudely woke her with her one in the afternoon phone call. 

“We’re going swimming. I don’t care where, but it’s happening, and it’s happening in the next hour.” Weiss was  _ irritated _ , Blake could tell and her husky voice rumbles with soft laughter.

“Okay, okay Weiss.” There’s rustling on the other end of the line before another familiar voice takes over the call.

“Sup ice queen?” Yang’s smooth accent floods Weiss’ senses, coating her already sour mood a thick grey. Yang Xiao Long was Blake’s long time girlfriend, and grade A pain in Weiss’ ass. The older woman had a quick wit and a penchant for shenanigans that left Weiss paying for it more often than not. “Is money an option?”

That’s how Weiss found herself at one of the nicest country clubs in the city, with Blake and Yang smiling at her side. Luckily her name held enough weight that the owners absolutely refused to have her pay upfront, however Yang’s suspiciously chipper mood was making her nervous. 

“This pool is the best in the city!” She roars, cheering excitedly in her bikini and shorts. 

Blake rolls her eyes fondly and shifts the bag with their change of clothes more comfortably on her shoulder. “What she’s trying to say is she’s excited to bug her sister.” Weiss shoots the black and yellow duo a confused look before looking back in the direction of what the club promises is the best pool in the county. 

“What? Sister?” Yang grins in response, something sinister and devious.

“Oh that’s right Weissicle, you haven’t met my baby sister have you?” It’s poised as a question but Weiss is certain that it isn’t. Something in the way Yang grins at her makes her feel like she’s caught in a trap she won’t be able to escape from. 

“This way ladies!” With a dramatic leap forward Yang leads the way into the lobby outside of their destination. “My baby sister is really popular here, Weiss cream, but I think you’ll like her. She’s a chip off the ole block!”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Weiss groans, regretting this entire situation. 

She thinks for a moment what Yang’s younger sister would look like. Her first mental image is a smaller Yang, someone with almost as large of a bust and the same complexion. Next was her hair, maybe something a little darker, shorter maybe. 

Next to her Blake laughs, “Whatever you’re thinking, Ruby doesn’t look anything like Yang.” Weiss’ brow furrows and her shoulders stiffen. “She’s sweet though. Kind of a hand full, but not in the way Yang is.” 

_ Oh boy _ . Weiss thinks, following behind the laughing couple. 

Once inside Weiss had to admit the country club was luxurious. The connected lobby held several small shopping counters, some of which held snacks and beer, another for ordering fully cooked meals, and one for clothing, towels, and souvenirs. The rest of the open area was used for tables featuring middle aged men and women all in different stages of bored and annoyed. 

Excitedly, Yang leads them to the counter displaying colorful swimsuits and matching towels. There’s no one presently at the counter, so with a grin Yang dings the bell a couple hundred times, in time for a disgruntled blond man to throw himself across the counter to stop the offending ringing.

“Please Yang! Coco will have my ass if she hears that bell again today.” The man sighs heavily and leans back smiling affectionately at the couple. 

“Been a rough day Sun-of-a-gun?” Yang responds cheerfully, clapping the younger man on his shoulder. 

Weiss watches the interaction quietly, and absorbs the information in stride. She was familiar with Coco Adel, the idea that she was in some sort of position of power in this country club wasn’t surprising, what was however, was the scruffy looking blond man. He wore no shirt, only a pair of pure white shorts and matching sandals, both sporting the insignia of the club in a soft brown. His hair stuck out at all angles, but he wore a relaxed smile as he talked with the two other women. 

“Who’s this cutie?” He chimes, loud enough for Weiss to hear, “Aww Yang did you bring me a girlfriend?”

“Not on your life.” 

With that Weiss storms out of the lobby and out towards the pool, only to run directly into someone she can only assume is the lifeguard on duty. She’s nearly knocked to the ground, dropping her things, but is caught easily by the woman she’d run into. Weiss growls roughly when she’s shifted back upright, shoving warm hands off her arms as she yells. “What is wrong with you! Don’t you watch where you’re going!?” 

“I’m so sorry ma’am.” Comes the soft reply before she’s offered a gentle, but nervous smile. Weiss gets a good look at the tall lifeguard and feels her breath catch. Tall and slender, with lean muscle and tan skin, her smile is sparkling, framed in dark red hair and accented with glittering silver eyes. “Let me get you a drink, to make it up to you.” This an offer made politely, not the kind of offer she’s usually given, something with ulterior motives. 

“I suppose I could take you up on that.” She responds quickly, trying to keep herself from staring at the lifeguard’s glistening skin in the sunlight. 

The lifeguard grins and walks into the lobby and returns a few moments later, flanked by Blake and Yang. When the redhead offers up an ice cold lemonade to Weiss with a charming smile it ignites an unfamiliar warmth in Weiss’ chest. “Here you go ma’am.” She winks and Yang grins before looping an arm over her shoulders. “I prefer the strawberry, but my sister here convinced me you’d prefer the original.”

Weiss shifts, looking from her two friends to the attractive lifeguard. “Excuse me?”

“Weissy, this is my sister, Ruby Rose.” Yang chimes cheerfully. 

Ruby herself flushes but holds her hand out with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you…?”

Flushed and becoming increasingly warm, Weiss holds her hand out stiffly, “Weiss… Weiss Schnee.” 

“I hope I can see you more often, Weiss.”


	67. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Rain  
> Writer: HopeofMorning910  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopeOfMorning910
> 
> Summary: A stormy evening leads to an opening of hearts, the sharing of hurts, and newfound feelings all around. 
> 
> A/N: Fourth installment of the Sanctuary AU. The previous installments are Sanctuary (26), Shield (40), and Sword (53). As always, these chapters will be collected over at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13601241/1/Sanctuary for easy reading.

The spring rains came without warning. One minute, it was sunny with only a few white clouds drifting overhead, and the next, rows of dark gray clouds had overtaken the sky.

Weiss didn’t quite make it back to the cottage in time to avoid the sudden deluge of rain, but her borrowed crimson cloak kept her warm and dry. 

Zwei, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. The wolf’s black, gray, and white fur was splattered with dollops of thick, black mud. He even managed to get grime all over his muzzle and face. Which was why…

“No, absolutely not,” Weiss told him, doing her best to ignore his sad little whine and adorably drooping ears and tail. He hadn’t even shifted into his corgi form yet, and he was still managing to tug at her heartstrings. But no, she had principles. 

She shooed him away from the porch. “You can come in after you let the rain wash away all that mud and dirt, and not a moment sooner.” With that, she steeled her heart and shut the door.

A mournful howl rose up over the sound of rain, and she had to force herself not to give in. She did  _ not _ want to have to spend her time cleaning muddy floors. It was bad enough that her own boots had left tracks all over the porch.

She removed the offending footwear now and left them on the mat by the door. Then, with more than some reluctance, she removed her cloak as well and hung it up to dry. She didn’t want to mop wet floors any more than she wanted to clean muddy ones.

She went to the washstand to clean up as she always did after spending time outside, and especially after working in the garden.

At some point she would have to let Zwei in, but while she was waiting for him to get sluiced off in the rain, she might as well get supper started. 

She surveyed the ingredients in her pantry. She didn’t have any fresh meat today, but she had plenty of jerky. Ruby had made sure of that. It was too salty to eat on its own, but it did a wonderful job flavoring other dishes. She had plenty of acorn flour, already leached and safe for consumption; some early potatoes and radishes; the remaining wild onion that Ruby had brought her the last time she visited; and some wild herbs and greens.

Stew, she decided at last. It’d be heartier than a simple soup, and she could save any leftovers for tomorrow. 

Preparations were quick and easy. The most difficult part was figuring out how much acorn flour to use as a thickener. It was a little different from the rye and wheat flours she was used to using, and she was still trying to find the right ratio of broth to flour.

Weiss had just pulled the pot away from the fire and moved it over a bed of hot coals so it would continue to simmer without boiling over when she heard a familiar voice outside.

_ “Zwei? What’s wrong?” _

Weiss froze. Ruby was here? Now? In this weather? 

Her hands flew to her hair. She had washed her face and hands, but she hadn’t bothered with anything else. Her hair was probably a mess after working outside all morning and afternoon.

She rushed to her new mirror, one of the handful of things she had brought back from Ruby’s treasure trove, and tried to neaten her hair as best she could. Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to do more than splash a little water to smooth out the worst bits. It would have to do. She didn’t have time to rebraid it no matter how much she wanted to.

Zwei whined and “talked” at Ruby with a mixture of barks and yips, the timbre of his voice telling Weiss that he had shifted into his corgi form. Once again, Weiss found herself wondering if Zwei and Ruby could actually speak to and understand each other. Ruby certainly always responded as though she was holding an actual conversation with him.

Indeed, Ruby was doing so now. She chuckled, her voice slightly muffled by the door and the steady sound of rain hitting the roof of the cottage.  _ “Serves you right, Zwei. You know better than that. Blake wouldn’t let you into the den covered in mud either.” _

Ruby’s words made Weiss falter just as she was about to open the door. 

It was that name again, or at least one of them. And “Yang” was the other one, if she recalled correctly. Weiss still didn’t know who they were, only that Ruby’s voice sounded so happy when she spoke of them. It made Weiss feel...out of sorts.

The door knocked. Weiss took a breath and pulled it open.

Then she blinked in shock.

Ruby didn’t seem to notice Weiss’s expression and grinned happily. “Hey, Weiss!”

Weiss found her voice. “Ruby, you’re absolutely drenched! What happened?”

Ruby had procured a plain brown cloak from somewhere, but it had done little to keep her dry. Both the cloak and the clothes beneath it were sopping wet, and Ruby’s hair was dripping. In fact, she looked little better than the corgi beside her, who had a growing puddle of water at his feet.

Ruby’s brow furrowed as she tilted her head. She glanced back at the rain-blurred scenery and then at Weiss again.

“It’s raining,” she said as though Weiss was the one lacking common sense.

Weiss fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I  _ know _ it’s raining. What I meant was why are you out in this sort of weather? You should be somewhere safe and dry, not wandering around the forest getting soaked.”

Ruby’s smile returned. She was practically vibrating with excitement. 

“I finally finished it!” she said as she pulled out a wax cloth bundle that looked like it had survived the rain much better than she had. “ Took me a while ‘cause I’m not that good at this sort of thing, but I finally did it!” 

Ruby undid the ties, revealing...a bundle of dark cloth? Her sparkling eyes and wide smile urged Weiss to take it, so she did.

Weiss gasped softly as the thick cloth unfurled with nary a whisper. It was a beautiful cloak of midnight blue that seemed to shimmer faintly like moonlight on the water. 

“You made this?” Weiss asked as she draped it over her arm and ran her hand over its velvety surface. She couldn’t help but smile. 

Ruby bobbed her head. “Yep!” She rubbed the back of her head. “Messed up a few times though, which is why it took so long, but I did it.”

“It’s lovely,” Weiss said. And she meant it. She knew a number of people in her old life who would have paid a fortune for such a fine cloak.

Ruby‘s smile widened. “It’s yours. A gift to keep you safe and protect you from the weather. Heat and cold will not trouble you. Rain and snow will not chill you to the bone. Even dust and smoke will not harm you as long as you keep the hood up.” Her voice took on a tentative note. “Do you like it?”

Weiss looked up to see the same uncertainty mirrored in Ruby’s expression.

Weiss frowned inwardly. She set aside the part of her that was slightly exasperated that Ruby was giving her yet  _ another _ gift and smiled. She met Ruby’s eyes as she drew the garment close. “It’s wonderful. Thank you.”

Ruby’s resulting smile could have rivaled the morning sun. She bounced on the balls of her feet, heedless of the way it sent droplets of water every which way.

Weiss stepped back hastily. “Ruby, stop—stop!”

Ruby froze with a sheepish look on her face. “Sorry.”

Weiss huffed. “Stay there.” 

She shot a sharp look at Zwei who had lifted his paw as though he had been about to step through the doorway. He froze and backed up instantly with a soft whine and drooping ears. “You too. Stay there, and don’t move.”

Weiss folded her new cloak with careful hands and laid it on her bed, taking one last chance to brush her fingers against it as she did so. She smiled softly to herself before finally drawing away.

She went to the basket where she kept a pile of clean towels and took two. She also fetched a loose shirt and a pair of linen pants that looked like they might fit Ruby’s taller frame. They, too, were things she had found in Ruby’s treasure trove. Weiss had been meaning to alter them for herself since her skirts and dresses kept catching on things whenever she ventured into the forest, but now she was thinking might leave a few of them as they were, just in case. After all, what if Ruby came by and needed a clean change of clothes again?

She left the clothes on the bed and returned to the doorway.

Weiss handed one of the towels to Ruby. “Dry yourself off, and go get changed.” She nodded towards the bed.

“Oh, I don’t have to,” Ruby said as she shifted in place. “I just wanted to make sure you had your new cloak as soon as possible. It’s going to be raining a lot over the next few weeks.”

And Ruby had come all this way in the pouring rain just for that even though Weiss would have been fine waiting until the next clear day. Weiss didn’t know whether to shake her head or smile. And she  _ really _ didn’t want to just send Ruby away after she had done something so considerate.

“Do you have something else you need to do today?” Weiss asked.

Ruby shook her head. “Not really.”

“Then stay.” Weiss waited a moment before dropping the one thing she knew would sway Ruby instantly. “I could make us some honey acorn cakes again.” 

Weiss had finally perfected the recipe a little while ago and had been pleasantly surprised to discover that Ruby had a veritable sweet tooth. 

Ruby perked up, and Weiss could have sworn she saw a wagging tail. “Really?” Ruby asked excitedly.

Weiss hid a smile. “If you stay. And only if you get yourself out of those soaking wet clothes and into some dry ones. Honestly, you’ll catch your death running around in this weather.”

Ruby’s response was muffled as she started drying her hair and face. “A little bit of rain never hurt anyone. It’s good for the forest. Makes it happy.” 

Ruby wrung out her water-laden cloak and left it in a soggy pile next to the doorway. Then she kicked off her boots and left them beside her cloak—all of which was fine. Weiss would have asked her to do those things anyway. However, Weiss had to draw a line when Ruby started taking off her shirt right then and there.

Weiss’s face burned as she immediately averted her eyes. “Ruby! Get inside before you get undressed!”

Ruby stopped what she was doing and gave Weiss a look of confusion. “But if I go inside with my clothes on, I’ll drip water everywhere,” she said far too reasonably.

Weiss stifled a groan. Of all the times for Ruby to make sense. 

“It’s fine,” Weiss said as she reached out and yanked Ruby’s shirt back down. “You can just mop the floor when you’re done.” She glanced down at Zwei, thankful for the excuse to keep her eyes turned away. “Zwei, on the other hand, can’t mop after himself so he has to get toweled off before coming inside.”

Weiss knelt with the other towel, ducking her head in a futile attempt to hide her red cheeks, and got to work. Zwei seemed to treat it as a game and wagged his stubby little tail as she dried him off as best she could.

Ruby slipped past her, and Weiss heard the sound of Ruby’s drenched clothes hitting the floor. She forced herself to focus on what she was doing and  _ not _ think about Ruby getting dressed behind her.

* * *

The rain grew heavier as the evening wore on, providing a continuous, strangely soothing accompaniment to the crackling fire. The rich smell of stew warmed the air, making the stormy night feel cozier than it should be. Or perhaps it was simply Ruby’s presence that made the night feel so warm.

Weiss quickly made the cake that Ruby was so eagerly waiting for, mixing acorn flour with the last of her eggs, some honey, and a pinch of salt. Then the two of them shared the stew Weiss had made earlier as they waited for the cake to finish baking. 

After their supper dishes had been cleared away, Weiss pulled the cake from the makeshift oven she was baking it in. She didn’t have a true oven; instead, she put the baking dish in a shallow iron pot, covered it with a lid, and buried it in hot coals.

Weiss took a small slice for herself and let Ruby have the rest. Ruby was currently scraping the baking dish to get every last morsel of crumbly cake that she could. It was such a pleasure to watch Ruby get so excited over a simple cake and left Weiss feeling...full.

As Ruby helped Weiss do the dishes, Weiss retreated to the curtained off corner of the room with a bucket of heated water to wipe away the day’s sweat. She even washed her hair, a bothersome task that involved ladling the warm water over her head as she leaned over a basin.

Weiss was drying her hair by the fire when Ruby called her name.

“Yes?” Weiss said as she glanced over.

Ruby dried the final bowl and wiped her hands. “Are you going to brush your hair tonight? I’ll help! If you want me to.” 

Ruby looked so eager that Weiss didn’t have the heart to turn her down. Weiss smiled. “Fetch my brush for me?”

She was rewarded with a wide grin and a swirl of rose petals as Ruby rushed to do as she was asked. 

They sat near the warmth of the fire, each of them perched on their own stool.

Zwei was sprawled out on the floor beside them, his paws twitching every now and then as he chased something in his dreams. 

Ruby’s hands were gentle as she brushed Weiss’s hair in slow, steady strokes.

Weiss’s mind drifted as the soothing motions lulled her into a half-awake, half-contemplative state. It wasn’t the best place to be of late.

Most days, she could ignore her nagging thoughts. There was so much for her to do now that she lived on her own: gather and chop firewood, tend to her garden, forage for wild fruit and greens, fetch water from the well, cook and clean. But now that she was getting accustomed to life here, her mind kept turning to less pleasant thoughts.

It was strange. Weiss had dreamed for so long about being able to get out from under her father’s thumb, yet she still found herself ravaged with bouts of homesickness. She missed the material comforts and conveniences of civilization, of course, but above all else, she missed the foods she grew up with. She missed the smell and taste of freshly baked bread in the morning. She missed the sharp bite of cheese and the extra richness butter lent to even the simplest of dishes. She even missed foods that she hadn’t been particularly fond of when she still had them, such as salt pork or oats for porridge. 

And most of all, Weiss wished she had access to all those foods and ingredients so that she could share them with Ruby. Ruby was always so fascinated by human culture and food, and Weiss wanted to be able to put that look of excited wonder on Ruby’s face as often as possible. She wanted to make Ruby smile.

Of course, thinking of what her new life was lacking only reminded Weiss of the place she left behind. Of the  _ people _ she left behind. Klein, the keep’s inhabitants, the people living in the surrounding towns and villages...they all looked to her for leadership and protection, and in the end, she failed them. She left them in the hands of a man like her father just to save herself.

A familiar wave of guilt swept through her as swiftly as the storming rain outside. She must have tensed, for Ruby’s hands stilled. Ruby touched her shoulder.

“Weiss?”

Weiss gave herself a shake. “I’m fine,” she said, her voice clipped in spite of herself.

A heavy silence filled the air, and the drumming rain and crackling fire suddenly sounded incredibly loud in her ears. There was a soft thunk as Ruby put down her brush.

Ruby slid out of her seat and circled around to crouch before Weiss. Her brow was furrowed, and her eyes...Weiss’s heart dropped. Those silver eyes looked so sad as they searched Weiss’s expression.

“That’s the first lie you’ve ever said to me,” Ruby said. Her tone lacked any hint of recrimination, but Weiss’s heart lurched nonetheless.

Ruby rose abruptly.

Weiss panicked. She hadn’t meant to lie. She just didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to admit her failures to someone whose opinion and respect meant so much to her. Yet she knew how much Ruby valued truth. Had she just ruined everything?

However, before Weiss could even fully process her soul-encompassing, heart-clenching fear that she had alienated Ruby, Ruby leaned forward and pulled Weiss into her arms.

Weiss squeaked in surprise as she was lifted and smoothly deposited into Ruby’s lap.

“Ruby, w-what—?”

The faint scent of roses increased as Ruby’s arms wrapped around her and pulled her close.

Ruby nestled her chin against Weiss’s shoulder and spoke, her breath tickling Weiss’s ear. “Blake doesn’t always like to talk about whatever she’s thinking about, but sometimes her thoughts hurt her or make her sad. Whenever that happens, Yang curls up around her and cuddles her close.” 

Ruby’s arms tightened, making Weiss feel strangely safe and secure just like every other time she found herself within Ruby’s embrace. Ruby continued softly, “I don’t know why, and you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I know you’re hurting. Just...please, don’t lie to me.”

A fresh wave of shame washed through Weiss.

“I know humans lie,” Ruby said. “Maybe they just can’t help it. But” —she took one of Weiss’s hands in her own and held it tightly— “it hurts to hear you lie, even if it’s one without ill intent.”

Weiss turned in Ruby’s arms. Ruby helped her, gently supporting her so that she wouldn’t lose her balance as she shifted around.

Weiss reached up without thinking, hesitated, and then laid her hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Ruby nodded, accepting the apology. She curled her arms around Weiss’s waist once more and simply held her close, asking nothing and simply offering wordless comfort.

And that comfort was so warm, so  _ unexpected, _ that it made Weiss’s heart ache.

She made a decision. Ruby deserved the truth, no matter how badly it would reflect on Weiss. Weiss just hoped she wouldn’t lose whatever positive regard Ruby might have for her.

* * *

Ruby was wondering if she had messed up somehow, because Wesis wasn’t moving. If anything, she was sitting even more stiffly than before. Maybe humans didn’t cuddle each other like this? But Ruby had done it before when Weiss asked her to spend the night, and Weiss didn’t seem to mind it then.

But even if humans didn’t cuddle like this, Ruby was kind of enjoying it. It was a little different from hugging and cuddling Yang, Blake, or Zwei, but it was a good kind of different. The kind of different that made Ruby want to do it more often.

Weiss shifted and turned back to face the fire. Ruby let her get settled and then rested her chin on Weiss’s shoulder again. It was the perfect height for chin-resting, and it was super comfy. 

Ruby just wished Weiss wasn’t hurting so much. She hugged Weiss a little tighter, hoping it would help.

Weiss didn’t say anything for the longest time, but when she did finally speak, her voice reminded Ruby of how she sounded the night Ruby first found her, strained and distressed. It made Ruby feel distinctly unhappy, as though someone was petting her fur the wrong way. If she had ears like Zwei, she imagined they’d be pinned back as well.

Weiss’s words were barely audible over the sound of the rain. “I never told you about my home, did I?” It didn’t sound like Weiss was really expecting an answer, but in case she was, Ruby shook her head. 

Weiss touched the back of Ruby’s wrist in acknowledgement. “Though ‘home’ isn’t quite the right word for it. ‘Birthplace’ might be better. The place I was born and raised for almost all my life. I am what humans call a ‘noble’.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Ruby told her plainly.

Weiss nodded. “I thought as much. In the simplest terms, it means I was born into wealth and stood at the top of society. And although many of my fellow nobles would argue otherwise, I always felt it meant I had a responsibility to those below me. In exchange for working the fields and taking on jobs we nobles would never attempt, we owed those people our protection and basic necessities in times of scarcity.”

Ruby frowned, trying to work out all the big words Weiss was using. “So in other words...you were a human Warden? You had power and used it to protect those in your territory.” 

“That’s...one way of putting it, I suppose.”

Ruby smiled to herself. She liked the idea of sharing something with Weiss. Her insides wriggled at the thought, and not in a bad way. However, Weiss’s next words made Ruby’s smile disappear. 

“But my father didn’t share my values. To him, our people only existed to feed his wealth and prestige. He took so much from them that they could barely survive and then had the gall to demand more while doing absolutely nothing to make sure they could survive our harsh winters or to protect them from bandits.”

Ruby scrunched her shoulders and growled flatly, “I don’t like your sire.”

For some reason, Weiss let out a small, mirthless laugh at that. “The feeling’s mutual.” Weiss’s shoulders tightened to the point where Ruby was worried that she might snap. “And I left them there—my people. I abandoned them to save my own skin, all the while knowing I was the last bastion protecting them from my father’s greed and cruelty. I failed them when they needed me most.”

Zwei whined at the anger and self-contempt in Weiss’s voice, and Ruby wanted to do the same. She wished she was better with words like Blake, but Blake wasn’t here so Ruby had to figure this out by herself.

Ruby shifted, sliding one arm beneath Weiss’s knees and the other across the back of her shoulders, and stood in one smooth motion. Weiss made one of those funny squeaky noises and grabbed for Ruby’s shirt. Ruby let Weiss get used to her new positioning before carrying her across the room and depositing her on the edge of the bed. Then she knelt in front of her.

_ Eye contact, _ Ruby remembered. Eye contact was important for human communication, especially when a conversation was important. She looked up into Weiss’s eyes.

_ And touch. _ She grasped Weiss’s hands in her own.

Weiss looked a little confused, but she didn’t pull away. If anything, she seemed to be gripping Ruby’s hands in return. That was a good sign, right?

_ “Did _ you fail?” Ruby asked her.

Weiss’s brow creased, and Ruby hurried to try to explain herself better.

“Humans are pack animals. They’re not meant to fight or hunt alone. They’re stronger together.” Ruby gave Weiss hands a squeeze. “You say it was your responsibility, your duty, but who else was with you?”

Weiss searched her eyes before answering. “No one. No one else cared, and those that did care didn’t have enough power to change things. And the few that tried to stand up to my father were rooted out and replaced with men who would support him.”

Ruby nodded. That was what she thought. She wet her lips. She had to get this right so that Weiss wouldn’t be so upset with herself anymore.

“So I ask again, did you fail? Or were you just hunting too big an opponent to take down alone? If you did not have a pack, then of course the hunt wasn’t successful.”

Ruby let out a soft whistle. 

Zwei’s head perked up. He scrambled to his feet and trotted over. He shifted into his true form halfway to them, and his massive bulk made the room seem much smaller than before. He whined and dropped to his belly beside Ruby. He bumped her elbow aside and stuck his head in Weiss’s lap, clearly requesting some pets.

Ruby smiled as Weiss seemed to relax as she scratched behind Zwei’s ears. She rose and sat next to Weiss on the bed. Ruby leaned into Weiss’s shoulder as she gave Zwei a few scratches of her own.

“Someone should have been there for you,” Ruby said quietly. “Someone should have watched your back.” 

“I wasn’t entirely alone,” Weiss interjected. “Klein, the man who basically raised me, tried to support me as best he could.”

“But did he hunt alongside you when your enemies came?” Ruby wanted to know. 

Weiss shook her head, her expression tinged with sadness. “He couldn’t. But it’s thanks to him that I was able to escape and make it all the way here.”

Ruby nodded her understanding. “Then he was like a den mother, the last line of defense when enemies come. They don’t hunt unless they have to. Instead, they protect the den and watch over the pups while the others are away. They’re necessary for any pack, but they’re not what you needed.”

Ruby smoothed out Zwei’s fur. “If Zwei had been there, none of your enemies would have dared come close.” 

Zwei lifted his head and growled in agreement. 

Ruby’s voice hardened. “And if I had been there, I would have hunted alongside you as well.” 

Ruby touched Weiss’s hand, drawing her attention. “You should not have had to hunt alone. You should have had a pack. And now you will.” 

Weiss’s eyes widened.

Ruby gestured to Zwei and herself. “We’ll be your pack if you want one.”

Weiss bit her lip. She looked into Ruby’s eyes. “Is this the Warden speaking or...?”

Ruby faltered at that. “I” —she searched for the right words— “...I am the Warden, but...there are parts of me that aren’t.” She clenched her fist. “Those parts make me want to leave this place and hunt down all the humans who intend you harm. But I cannot. The Wardens are given gifts to help them protect their territory, but all gifts come with a price. The farther I go from the forest and the longer I stay away, the weaker I become.” Her shoulders fell. “I’m sorry I cannot slay your enemies.”

Weiss choked. “What—? No—don’t apologize. I would never ask that of you even if you could.”

Ruby cocked her head. “But it would make you safer.”

Weiss shook her head. “Yes, but that would make me no better than my father, taking lives simply because they could be inconvenient in the future.” Her voice fell. “That’s precisely the kind of thinking that forced me to leave. I was a hindrance to his plans, so he wanted to get rid of me.”

Ruby’s jaw tightened at the very thought. “He won’t succeed. You have a pack now. We’ll protect you. Because we’re family.”

Weiss’s blossoming smile made Ruby relax, and a strange warmth filled Ruby’s chest. Ruby smiled back. Smiles looked good on Weiss. She should smile all the time. Well, except when she was sad because no one should have to smile when they were sad, but Weiss should still have more smiling times than not-smiling times.

“Thank you, Ruby.”

The warmth in Ruby’s chest grew.

Zwei whined, not wanting to be left out.

Ruby’s smile widened at the sound of Weiss’s chuckle.

“And thank you as well, Zwei.” Weiss ruffled his fur, and his tail started whipping through the air.

Ruby relaxed all the way, content now that Weiss seemed to be feeling better.

“Ruby?” Weiss stopped petting Zwei long enough to glance over.

“Hmm?”

“You don’t have to tell me if you’re not allowed to or if you don’t want to, but...what does being a Warden mean? What is a Warden, exactly?”

Normally, Ruby wouldn’t answer. The less humans knew, the better. But this was Weiss, and Weiss wasn’t an enemy. She was pack now. She was family. She could be trusted.

“We’re protectors. Sentinels and guardians chosen by the forest.” Ruby stretched out her hand and waved it faster than the eye could see, creating a sprinkling of rose petals. She caught one and handed it to Weiss.

“Magic is dying in most of the world, but there are places here and there where it still manages to survive. The Wardens protect such places.”

Weiss digested that. “Wardens, as in more than one.”

“That’s always a possibility, though it’s rare. Not all beings have the potential to become a Warden. Even fewer survive.”

Weiss’s gaze sharpened. “What does that mean?”

Ruby frowned and glanced around the room, trying to figure out a way to explain it to her. Her eyes landed on a leather bag hanging from a hook near the door. Her expression brightened.

“Every potential Warden is like a bag.”

“A bag?” Weiss sounded utterly confused, but that was fine. Ruby would explain.

“They’re all made of different materials, and the stitching could be good or bad. So sometimes you can put the same number of things in two different bags, but one of them will burst at the seams while the other one won’t. Does that make sense?”

Weiss’s eyes cleared. “Yes, but...what does that have to do with the Wardens?”

“A Warden is chosen and then made. The forest forges a connection with us and pours its magic into us. If we survive, we gain the gifts we need to protect the forest.”

“...And the ones that don’t survive?”

Ruby shrugged uncomfortably. “They burst at the seams. Too much power in too small a vessel.”

The conversation brought back memories of pure agony. Ruby would never forget the day she became a Warden. It was like someone had set all her nerve endings on fire and crushed her body beneath an avalanche. 

Ruby shifted on the bed and backed up until she could lean against the wall. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. 

Weiss watched for a moment before following suit. This time it was Weiss who leaned into Ruby. 

“What are you thinking?” Weiss asked.

Ruby shrugged again. “I don’t think I would have survived either, if Summer hadn’t started training me long before I became the Warden.”

“‘Summer’?”

Ruby nodded. “She’s the one who found me when I was really little. I don’t really remember the details, but I guess she saw that I had potential and decided to keep me.”

But remembering Summer brought its own share of melancholy memories. Ones that Ruby didn’t really like to think about if she didn’t have to.

Zwei, being ever sensitive to Ruby’s mood, whined and climbed halfway up onto the bed to shove his head into her lap. She hugged him close. “I’m alright, Zwei.”

He whined again, not convinced.

“But I could use a cuddle,” Ruby admitted.

Zwei grunted, satisfied and more than a little pleased. He liked cuddles as much as Ruby did. He backed away and looked at Ruby expectantly, his tail wagging.

Ruby smiled. She glanced at Weiss and tugged on her sleeve.

“Join us?” Ruby asked hesitantly. She really wanted Weiss to cuddle with them, but she still wasn’t sure if it was something humans did.

Weiss blinked, and her eyes widened slightly. “You’re sure you want me to?”

Ruby cocked her head. What a silly question. “Of course. I like holding you.”

Ruby then tilted her head the other way in curiosity. Huh. Weiss had just turned pink.

Ruby scooted off the bed. She turned back and held out a hand to Weiss.

Weiss stared at it for a moment before letting out a soft huff and taking it. Ruby drew her off the bed and moved back to the hearth where Zwei had already settled himself down in front of the fire.

Ruby let go of Weiss’s hand and plopped down on the ground with Zwei at her back. She patted the ground between her legs and opened her arms wide. 

Weiss hesitantly lowered herself to the ground and scooted back. As soon as she was close enough, Ruby pulled her in close and snuggled into the crook of her shoulder. Weiss might not have fur like Zwei and Blake, but she was still really soft and huggable.

Ruby hummed with pleasure as she leaned back to lay against Zwei’s side. He leaned over to lick her cheek before yawning and dropping his chin to the floor to continue his nap from earlier.

He had the right of it, Ruby thought. A nap sounded really good right about now. A nap with Weiss sounded even better.

It took a little while, but Weiss eventually relaxed as well. Ruby felt her starting to draw soothing whorls on the back of Ruby’s hands where they rested against Weiss’s belly.

Ruby was halfway asleep when Weiss suddenly asked softly, “You really do like this, don’t you?” 

Ruby gave Weiss another snuggly squeeze. “Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.

There was another silence. Then Weiss whispered almost too quietly to hear, “I like it too.”

Ruby smiled and let herself drift off. With Zwei behind her and Weiss in her arms, she felt more content than she ever remembered feeling before.

* * *

It was well past midnight when Ruby finally returned to the den she shared with Yang and Blake. 

Thankfully, the rain had slowed to a light drizzle by the time she left Weiss’s den. Not that it mattered. Now that Weiss had her own cloak, Ruby could take hers back so she didn’t have to get soaked on the way home.

Ruby remembered Weiss’s final words to her as she got ready to leave.

_ “It looks better on you than it ever did on me,” Weiss said, her cheeks pink again. She reached up and straightened the front of Ruby’s cloak, her hands lingering as she smoothed out a few wrinkles.  _

_ Weiss’s touch sent a strange tingling sensation through Ruby.  _

_ Weiss met Ruby’s gaze, her eyes soft and warm. “Stay safe. And thank you again for the cloak.”  _

A giddy smile crossed Ruby’s face at the memory, and suddenly, she felt fully energized again. She contemplated going for a run to burn off some of her extra energy when she heard the rapid flapping of wings.

_ “Ruby, you’re late!” _ Yang flew out of the den, an expansive mountain cave that Yang had found for them long ago.

Ruby caught her easily. Yang was about the size of a hawk and only a little heavier.

“Sorry,” Ruby said as she gave Yang a warm hug. Yang nipped her lightly before nuzzling her cheek.

Blake padded out of the den at a much calmer pace. She lifted her head, curled her upper lip back, and breathed in. Her tail coiled.

_ “You smell like the human,” _ Blake said.

Ruby reached down and stroked Blake’s head with her free hand in greeting. “We cuddled for a little while.” She smiled again, remembering. “It was nice.”  _ Really nice. _

Yang cocked her head.  _ “You got your cloak back. Does that mean you finished the other one you were making?” _

“Yep! And Weiss said she liked it.” Ruby walked towards the den. She shook off the worst of the rain from her cloak as she did so, not wanting to trail too much water inside.

Blake started to fall in beside her, but Yang chose to leave Ruby’s arms and land on Blake’s back. Yang flapped her wings wildly as she struggled to keep her balance upon landing. Blake froze and waited patiently for Yang to get settled.

Ruby passed them and headed to her corner of the den to change. Her original clothes had still been soaked, so she left them at Weiss’s den and wore her borrowed clothes home. 

Her tummy did a funny little wriggle as she changed into her sleep clothes. Blake had been right. Both her borrowed clothes and her cloak still smelled like Weiss. 

When she returned to the central area of the cave, Yang and Blake seemed to be finishing a silent conversation between themselves. They glanced at each other one last time before looking at Ruby.

Ruby plopped herself down on their pile of sleeping furs. 

Yang landed beside her and put her clawed forelimb on Ruby’s leg.  _ “Maybe we should meet Weiss.” _

Blake sat down in front of Ruby, her tail curling.

Ruby blinked and then looked up into Blake’s eyes. “Are you sure? I know you don’t really like humans.”

Blakes tail twined even more, and her ears pressed back against her head.  _ “I don’t. But I think I can make an exception for your human. She...doesn’t seem to be the bad sort.” _

Suddenly, Ruby found the furs beneath her to be incredibly interesting. 

“She’s not  _ my _ human,” Ruby mumbled. Then she remembered something. “Oh, but I...uh, offered her a place with me and Zwei. You know, in our pack? Not that I’m expecting you two to meet her or anything if you don’t want to, but...Weiss was alone for a long time. I didn’t want her to be alone anymore.”

Blake leaned forward and rubbed her cheek against Ruby’s.  _ “All the more reason why we should meet her.” _

_ “Yeah. If she’s important to you, then she’s important to us,”  _ Yang butted in. _ “But that’s a conversation for another day.” _

Ruby nodded, and with that, they all got settled for the night. 

However, Ruby wasn’t really tired yet since she had dozed a little at Weiss’s. Instead, her mind played back the events of the evening, remembering every time Weiss smiled or laughed. And the cuddles. Those had been amazing.

It made Ruby’s stomach do the funny little wriggle again, but it also made her feel really warm. She was going to be busy for the next couple days, but hopefully, she could find time to visit Weiss again soon. She was already looking forward to it.


	68. Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Wedding  
> Writer: TheAlmightyUltimus  
> Link to Writer:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAlmightyUltimus/pseuds/TheAlmightyUltimus  
> A/N: This is what happens when you try to think up ideas for a prompt after only like three hours of sleep
> 
> Summary: While Weiss had no regrets about marrying Ruby, that also meant she had to put up with the girl's rather strange requests. Today was one such day

Weiss groaned. “Remind me again how you talked me into this?”

Ruby turned around to face her, a big grin on her face. “Cause I’m your wife and you love me?”

Weiss rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help but blush a bit. Even two weeks after the wedding it was still hard to believe she was actually married to the other girl. “What made you even think of this anyway? I know you’re a weapon nut, but…”

Her wife pouted. “I mean, we’re married so it’s only natural they get married too, right?”

Weiss giggled a bit at the cute expression on the other girl’s face. “I guess. Pretty sure you’re the only one who’d think of something like this though.”

Ruby’s pout turned into a giggle as she flashed a victory sign. “That just means I’m special! Anyway, I need to go get my baby ready. See ya in a bit!”

Ruby rushed over and planted a kiss on Weiss’s cheek before dashing out of the bedroom, rose petals drifting down to the ground in her wake. Weiss shook her head, a smile gracing her face as she turned to her wardrobe. Ruby insisted they do this as real as possible, so that called for a dress. After rummaging through the dresser for a couple minutes she eventually decided on a sky blue dress, a slight slit down the side. She hummed lightly as she got changed. 

When she was done with that she began applying some light make-up using the mirror next to the bedroom’s sole window. She couldn’t help but let her gaze wander, glancing outside to the fair chunk of backyard the cottage had. She noticed a white, wooden archway, Yang and Blake chatting beneath it. Weiss made out Blake rolling her eyes (probably at one of Yang’s puns) before she turned away and started towards the house.

Finishing up with her makeup, Weiss turned around and walked towards the door. Myrtenaster was hanging on the wall next to it, the light from outside casting a gleam along the blade. Weiss Henry removed it from the wall, trailing her eyes along the steel.

She couldn’t help but chuckle. “The things that dolt can talk me into…”

She advanced out of the bedroom and into the cottage proper. To her left sat a small kitchen area and medium sized round table, and to her right was a couch sat up against the wall, a tv opposite of it. Beyond that was a sliding door that led out to the backyard, a certain faunus leaning against the wall next to it. She was wearing a black dress, not unlike the one she wore all those years ago at the dance, and her ears twitched when Weiss entered.

Blake stood you straighter. “We got the arch set up and everything's in place. Ruby is just finishing getting dressed, but we’re ready to go when you are.”

Weiss nodded as she walked over. “Thank you. And… thank you for putting up with this.”

Blake chuckled. “Please, this is Ruby we’re talking about. This is far from the most far fetched thing she’s had us do.”

Weiss felt a laugh emanate from herself as well. “That’s true. In any event, shall we get this started?”

Blake nodded, stepping aside and sliding the door open. Weiss strutted out, though a friend quickly grew on her face. The distinct sound of ‘Here Comes the Bride’ was echoing around the clearing. Tracing the source of the noise led her to a scroll sitting in the outstretched hand of one Yang Xiao Long who was standing underneath the archway, a wide smirk on the blonde’s face. 

Weiss scowled as she walked up, though she would admit Yang looked nice in a simple white dress, and stopped a few feet away from Yang. Her sister-in-law (oh dust they were related now) still had a grin on her face, and simply shrugged. “Hey, it was her idea. Speaking of which…”

The other girl gestured behind Weiss at the same time she heard two sets of footsteps approaching the pair. She sighed and turned around, ready to give her wife a talking to. The moment she laid eyes on Ruby though she froze in place, the lecture she was going to give dying in her throat.

She had been expecting Ruby to wear that red dress of hers, seeing as how she loved it so much. What Weiss HADN’T expected was for her wife to be walking towards her wearing a form fitting black tuxedo with red accents, a White Rose acting as her corsage. The outfit was completed (at least in Weiss’s eyes) by the black haired girl’s signature cape and the scythe that she was holding at her side.

Weiss blinked, quickly turning her head away to avoid staring any longer. When she heard the footsteps cease and she felt the familiar presence of her wife near her, she turned back to face Ruby. Unfortunately, the blush and smirk on the other girl’s face made it very clear that she had been caught, which only caused Weiss to blush in turn.

The music stopping and a clap turned the couple’s attention back to Yang, Blake standing next to her. “Let’s get started! I’ll have you know I stayed up late last night memorizing these lines.”

The admission elicited a giggle from Ruby and an eye roll from Weiss, but they both nodded.

Yang grinned. She cleared her throat, and began to speak.

“Ladies, we are present to witness the bond of these two weapons in holy matrimony. If there is any reason that these two should not be wed, then let it be known now.”

Blake looked like she was going to say something, but Ruby spoke first. “Hey, I know you’re gonna ask why! Me and Weiss are married now, so it’s only natural that our weapons get married too, right?”

Yang nudged Blake with her elbow. “Hey, makes sense to me. Using Ruby logic anyway.”

The faunus rolled her eyes, her smile betraying her true feelings, as she waved for her partner to continue.

“Do you, Myret- Mert- Myart-“

“Myrtenaster.”

“What she said, take Crescent Rose to be your lawfully wedded Scythe? To have and to hold, to love in sickness and in health till death do you part?”

Ruby and Yang looked expectantly between Weiss and her rapier, causing the white haired woman to sigh. “I do.”

It was embarrassing, but she’d put up with it for Ruby’s sake.

“And do you, Crescent Rose, take her to be your lawfully wedded Rapier? To have and to hold, to love in sickness and in health till death do you part?”

“I know these two didn’t get off to the best start, but getting to meet you makes up for it to me. You make me so happy Myrtenaster, and I couldn’t imagine my life without you in it. You’re just as precious to me as Master, and I’d be super happy to be able to spend the rest of my life with you. I do.”

Weiss blinked, her gaze fixated on her partner’s weapon. Did it… just talk? From the surprised looks on Yang and Blake’s faces she wasn’t hearing things. Actually… wasn’t that Ruby’s voice? Dust knows she hears it enough. She turned her attention to her wife’s face, and had to hold back a laugh. The girl had a slight blush on her face, but she had a grin a mile wide and her eyes were gleaming like she just won a contest in that Weapons Monthly magazine she subscribes to. 

Leave it to Ruby to learn some ventriloquism for something like this. Yang, on the other hand, hadn’t seemed to grasp the trick her sister was pulling.

She nudged Blake’s arm. “Blake. Blake the scythe is talking. Do you hear it talking? Is it alive? Has it always been alive? Oh dust if it has does that mean it heard us that time we-”

A bark interrupted Yang’s rambling, and the four girls turned their attention to the source at their feet to find Zwei. He was looking up at the four of them, his tongue hanging out of his mouth as he waited happily for them, a small box sitting on the corgi’s back. The sight of it seemed to return Yang to her senses, bending down and giving Zwei some head rubs before grabbing it and standing back up.

She opened the box, then turned it around to reveal it’s contents to Ruby and Weiss. A pair of silver bands, a small ruby embedded into one and a sapphire into the other. Weiss reached out and took the ruby band, whilst her wife took the sapphire band. She raised Myrtenaster, attaching the band to the lowest part of the hilt (as not to interfere with combat), while off to the side she could see Ruby attacking her own band right in the middle of Crescent Rose’s shaft.

Once that was done Yang smiled. “I now pronounce you Scythe and Rapier. You may now kiss the bride.”

Ruby looked to Weiss expectantly, the big grin on the girl’s eliciting an eye roll from the white haired girl. Despite that she raised Myrtenaster at the same time Ruby raised Crescent Rose. The pair slowly moved their respective weapons towards each other, until the blades collided with a small tink. They let them remain connected for a few seconds before withdrawing them.

There was clapping from Yang and Blake as Ruby hugged her scythe. “Oh my baby is married now! I’m so proud of you… I wonder if this is what Dad felt like when I got married…”

Weiss chuckled, walking a bit closer and planting a kiss on her wife’s cheek. “You really are adorable, you know that?”

The compliment made Ruby’s face turn as red as her namesake, and she moved her head to try (in vain) to hide the smile that lit up on her face from it. She heard Ruby mumble something but it was drowned out by an exaggerated gaggin coming from the side. Weiss turned to the source, sending a glare towards the blond in question

Yang, for her part, just laughed and shrugged. “What, I’m not allowed to tease my sister-in-law for flirting with her wife?”

Weiss grumbled a bit, but before she could come up with a response Ruby spoke first. “Hey, meet up with you guys tomorrow? It’s starting to get late.”

Weiss turned her gaze skyward and found that the sun was indeed starting to disappear from view, cloaking the area in twilight. It wouldn’t be long before it was completely dark out. 

Yang nodded. “Sounds good. We’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

With a wave the bumblebee pair walked off, with Zwei in tow, while Ruby and Weiss turned around and headed back to the cottage. It wasn’t a very long walk, but it was nice and peaceful. After they entered and Weiss closed the door behind them, her wife turned to her.

“Hey Weiss? Ya know how the couch is able to fold out into a bed?”

“Weiss narrowed her eyes, suspicious. “Yeah…”

“I was thinking… we could let the newlyweds use it tonight?”

Weiss blinked, her gaze turning to Ruby. Based off her wife’s rather concerned face, she could only imagine just how incredulous the look she was giving the black haired girl. It didn’t last long though, as Weiss quickly broke down into a laugh, moving to cover her mouth with the back of her hand.

“You really never cease to surprise me Ruby. But I don’t see any reason they can’t. Help me with this.”

Ruby’s face lit up in a wide smile, and Weiss immediately knew this was worth it from that alone. Setting the newly weds down for a minute, the pair got the couch extended out into a couch form. Ruby sped off to get a blanket while Weiss moved their weapons to lay on the couch-bed, Ruby getting back just as her wife finished.

Ruby draped the blanket over them, then stepped back and smiled. Weiss walked over, wrapping an arm around her waist and looking on with her. She had to admit, it did look rather nice. They had the two weapons snuggled up against each other under the blanket, though they had to change Crescent Rose to it’s sniper form for it to actually fit.

Weiss turned her head. “Though I do have a request to make in return.”

Ruby leaned her own head against her wife’s shoulder, those beautiful, sparkling silver eyes meeting Weiss’s gaze. “What is it hun?”

Weiss grinned, leaning in and whispering into Ruby’s ear. “That tux looks stunning on you…”

To emphasize her point she gently nibbled on Ruby’s ear, eliciting a shocked squeak from her wife. Weiss giggled. “But I think I’d much prefer it off…”

The blush that had rapidly spread across Ruby’s face made it clear Weiss was having the effect on the girl that she had intended. While they may have only gotten married a couple weeks ago, they had been dating for years now. MORE than long enough for Weiss to pick up the younger girl’s weak spots.

She heard Ruby gulp. “O-okay… that dress looks really nice on you too…”

Weiss smiled. “Thank you. But I think I have a better way for you to show it to me.”

She leaned in, pressing a few teasing and chaste kisses to Ruby’s neck. Just enough to make her want more. Weiss knew she succeeded when the black haired girl whined when Weiss pulled away. She pressed one more kiss to her forehead before starting to walk towards the bedroom. When she got to the door, she turned around and raised a hand, making a ‘come hither’ motion while at the same time winking at the girl.

Ruby someone blushed even more, which just made her all the more cuter, before she started to follow after Weiss. She giggled as she slipped into the bedroom.

While their weapons may be spending the night on the couch turned bed, it was time for Weiss to collect her reward for being so patient with her lovable wife today. One she would make sure the both of them enjoyed thoroughly. 


	69. Penny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Penny  
> Writer: 0neWhoWanders  
> Link to Writer: https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/0neWhoWanders
> 
> A/N: Of course the prompt that would reference another character’s name would instead make me think about those tiny coins. As the jingle goes, “find a penny, pick it up, and all your day, you’ll have good luck!”

As Weiss was walking out of her final class of the day, she could hear the telltale laugh of her best friend Blake running up to her. A smile and a quick shoulder nudge later, the two friends left Beacon University campus on the way to their first stop of the late afternoon.

After three years of near daily visits, one would assume that the barista at their favourite coffee place would know their orders by heart. Sadly, that was not the case.

“Iced coffee, with an extra shot of espresso and half the milk, cinnamon and caramel topping, but no whipped cream. Oh, and soy milk.” Blake smirked as Weiss barked out her order.

Weiss looked over to her friend with an eyeroll that clearly said, ‘see what I still have to deal with?’ As if the fault was on the baristas for not remembering such a long and complicated order.

“I’ll have a coffee, one milk and sugar, please,” Blake gave in her own order, smiling at the barista’s obvious delight at not having to put in such an order again.

Weiss paid for the two of them, it was her day after all, and the two sat down at a free table, taking the firsts sips of their drinks. Weiss frowned into her coffee.

“They forgot to half my milk in this.”

Blake snorted, “at least they remembered the soy milk. I’d hate to be within ten feet of you if you had any more than a sip of it.”

Weiss slapped her friend’s arm, “I’m not that bad! It just upsets my stomach a little.”

“Weiss, you have the worst case of lactose intolerance I’ve ever seen in my life. I feel sorry for whatever girl catches your eye. There’s going to be very little milk in their future with you.”

“Hey, at least I’d allow them to have one meal that doesn’t include fish,” Weiss shot back with a smirk of her own.

A thin finger was pointed at her, “Yang’s coming around to see the light eventually. It took a few weeks, but she’s willing to try sushi now.”

“Wow, must be your perfect woman. When am I going to get a chance to meet her?”

“Probably sometime this week. She said she was heading home to visit her little sister. Might even bring the kid up for a few days.”

“Aww,” Weiss whined adorably. “I love little kids. Don’t worry, I’ll babysit while you two enjoy a night out.”

“She’s like a year or two younger than us. And, from what I’ve heard, she’s smarter than all of us combined.”

Weiss let out a whistle, “I’ll believe that when I see it. Come on, let’s head back to my place. I could use some more coffee.”

“Like anybody would call what you drink a coffee,” Blake laughed as she stood up.

The girls disposed their finished cups in the nearby receptacle and waved goodbye to the baristas as they left. The walk was short, only ten minutes, and the two caught each other up on the day’s events. There was much discussion about nothing of relevance, but that’s what tended to happen after so many years being so close.

So, when Blake suddenly stopped just before they crossed the final street leading to Weiss’s apartment complex, Weiss knew what to expect.

“You don’t need to think it over, just pick it up.”

Blake continued to look down at the tiny penny that was laying on the curb. “It’s a lucky penny,” was Blake’s intelligent response.

“No, it’s only lucky when you pick it up. Right now, it’s just a penny.”

“Should I… should I pick it up?”

Weiss groaned. It was going to be another one of these things. “Just pick it up already. We’re wasting daylight just standing around.”

“But what if it’s not as lucky as it could have been?”

“What does that even mean?! Look Blake, you know I love you, but you do this every time. It’s just a stupid penny.”

Blake knelt down-

“Finally, thank you.”

-just to get a better look at it. “Yup, it’s head’s up. That means it’s a lucky penny.”

“Just do it already!” Weiss was starting to get aggravated.

“You pick it up.” Blake said, eyes flicking up to the girl.

“Wha- me? Why? You know I don’t believe in such silly nonsense.” Weiss waved Blake off, crossing her arms in a huff.

“Then why not pick it up anyways? Free money and all that.”

“Blake, I’m loaded. You could use the extra pocket change more than me anyways.”

“Would you want to risk me getting richer than you? When that day happens, I’ll tell everyone it was because I picked up this lucky penny that you refused to. This shall be the start of my wealth surpassing the great Weiss Schnee.”

“Like that will ever happen.”

“Do you want to risk it?”

“Yes. Yes I would.”

“Just pick up the damn penny already!” Blake and Weiss’s staring contest held their concentration, the friends falling into competitive silence.

“Why are you so adamant about me picking up this penny?” Weiss finally whispered out.

Blake shrugged, still refusing to break eye contact. “Maybe it’s because I’ve been doing so well with Yang that I thought you might need a bit of extra luck on your side.”

Weiss sighed, closing her eyes, and rubbing her forehead. “Fine, if I pick up this penny, will you stop turning every future penny into an argument?”

“No promises, but I can try.”

“Good enough.” And with that, Weiss knelt down and picked up that small penny, rolling it in her hands. She grimaced at the sight of dirt on it. She knew she’d have to wash her hands well after just touching the near worthless coin.

“AAHH!! Sorry! Umph-” A careless voice rang out as it barreled into Weiss sending the two girl stumbling over one another and down onto the cold sidewalk ground. Weiss groaned as she lay on her back, prepared to have some very vocal words with the cause of her discomfort.

“I’m so, so, so super duper sorry! I was just so late, I was going to surprise my big sister by coming in early and then I got lost on my way to her house and then my dad said she was about to leave to come get me and-” The girl’s ramblings ceased for a second as she went to take a breath.

Weiss opened her eyes and sucked in a sharp breath. Someone was on top of her, holding herself up over her with her elbows. Short red and black hair framed Weiss’s face, blocking out all vision but of the one above her.

“A-” was all she was able to let out, as her brain managed to take in as much of the girl as possible.

Blue eyes locked on to sparkling silver.

“Hi, I’m Ruby.”


	70. Cookies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Cookies  
> Writer: Zhana  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zhana/pseuds/Zhana

Thick black smoke surrounded her, obscuring her vision even if she could keep her teary eyes open. Despite the heat smothering her body and ash choking her lungs though, she persevered. She had to. She plunged deeper into the smog, feeling the heat growing stronger as she reached towards its source. Groping around blindly, she finally felt her gloved hand close around a sheet of hot metal.

Weiss practically leapt out of the smoke, throwing the tray into the kitchen sink, immediately turning the faucet to its maximum, water gushing out to smother the smoke still rising off the baking sheet.

“Well, there’s another batch down the drain… literally,” she grumbled, staring down at the lumps of hot charcoal resting under a layer of bubbling water.

Sighing, Weiss reached over to open a window, fanning the lingering smoke out, attempting to clear the kitchen. Plucking the cooled tray from the sink, she dumped the wet lumps of charcoal into the trash.

“Wow, you really suck at this, don’t’cha?”

Weiss shrieked, nearly leaping out of her skin, twisting around to throw the baking sheet at the sudden voice. While she may not have been the best in the kitchen, her throwing skills were certainly up there, even if it wasn’t her favored style of combat. The warm, wet sheet of metal smacking Yang dead-on in the face certainly proved that much.

Weiss looked on as her teammate crumpled, disappearing behind the common room couch. Displaying no real rush, she quite calmly walked around the red sofa, finding Yang lying across it, blonde hair spread out around her, one arm across her chest, the other limp over the edge of the seat, face still covered by the baking sheet.

“Oh no. I’ve killed her. Whatever shall I do,” Weiss deadpanned, turning to return to the kitchen.

Yang flinched, snickering before sitting up, grabbing the tray off her face, throwing it after Weiss. “You could at least apologize!”

Weiss deftly caught the thrown tray, depositing it on the kitchen counter with a smirk. “The way I see it, you deserved it for sneaking up on me.”

“Uhuh.” Yang slumped over the back of the couch, watching as Weiss went about preparing ingredients in a fresh bowl. “What are you doing anyway?”

“Cooking.”

“I think you mean _failing_ to cook,” Yang laughed. Weiss replied with a frown, a glare, and unamused silence before returning to her task. “Alright, what are you _trying_ to make anyway?”

Weiss stilled for a moment, hesitating to answer.

“…cookies,” she said with a sigh as she resumed cracking an egg into the mixture she was making.

“Oh~?” Yang leaned further over the edge of the couch, grinning widely. “I didn’t know you liked cookies enough to make your own!”

Weiss grimaced, knowing by Yang’s coy tone that the jig was up. “Yes, I actually do quite enjoy them.” Not that she’d admit it so readily.

“I guess you have that in common with Ruby!”

“I suppose so.”

“You know, she’s actually pretty good at making them herself; you could ask her for help!”

That would just defeat the entire purpose of making them _for_ her, wouldn’t it? Part of her whispered what the point was if Ruby could just make her own anyway, but _that_ wasn’t the point either. The point was that _Weiss_ was making them for her. Trying to. Failing to.

She let out another deep sigh.

“…or~ I could help?” Yang offered, her tone markedly more sympathetic.

Weiss looked over at her, frowning in contemplation. “Can you cook?”

Yang shrugged. “Not really. But! I can bake alright?”

Weiss’ frown deepened, but finally she let out a resigned sigh. “Well, not like you could do any worse than I am on my own…”

“That’s the spirit!” Yang declared, lunging over the back of the couch to join Weiss in the kitchen.

Walking down the hallway back to her dorm room, Weiss _wanted_ to feel triumphant. She had a nicely ribbon-tied baggie of actual, edible cookies! But it was a bit hard to celebrate her success after an entire day of failures. Even with Yang’s help, it had taken a couple more batches to get to this result. She was reasonably certain the kitchen now permanently smelled of cookie-smoke. Hopefully, it would all be worth it though.

Coming to her door, Weiss opened it a crack to peek inside, instantly finding Ruby sat at their shared desk. Hearing the door, her partner looked up from her homework, immediately breaking into a smile when she saw her standing there.

“Weiss!” Ruby cheered as she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. “Where have you been all day?”

“I was… around,” Weiss answered, the rather suspicious avoidance making Ruby’s brow quirk curiously. “What about you? What are you doing?” she asked, stepping closer to look over Ruby’s shoulder.

“Just finishing up with chapter ten of _Dust: A Regional History._ I actually had a couple questions I was hoping you could help me go over?”

“Of course, I’d be happy to,” Weiss unhesitatingly agreed with a nod. “You’re basically done though, right?”

“Yup!”

“Well then, I’d say that calls for a reward,” saying that, Weiss reached over, dropping the bag of cookies she’d been carrying on the desk.

Ruby looked at the bag, confused for a brief moment, before her eyes lit up, letting out a delightful little squeal when she realized what she was looking at.

“Thank you Weiss!”

Ruby wasted no time in tugging away the ribbon, taking a deep breath of the freshly baked cookies. Fishing one cookie out of the bag, she instantly devoured it, humming happily as she ate another, and another. After the third though, she plucked the fourth out slower, nibbling at it deliberately rather than outright inhaling it.

“…is something wrong?” Weiss asked, worried, noticing the change in demeanor.

“Mmm, no, these’re… Weiss, where’d you get these?” Ruby asked, looking up at her.

Weiss flushed, looking away from her partner. “…I made them.”

“Yang helped?” Ruby asked, finishing her cookie, immediately taking out another.

Weiss looked back to her, surprised. “You can tell?”

Ruby made an affirmative hum. “Yeah, they taste… similar, to ones she used to make us as kids.” Another cookie down, another taken out of the bag. “A bit different though…”

Weiss’ shoulders sagged a bit as she let out a sigh, “Not quite as good?”

Ruby giggled, smiling as she shook her head. “Not worse, just different. ‘cause you made them, I guess?”

“’Different’, huh?” Weiss repeated with a wry smile.

Ruby hopped up from her seat, leaning in to quickly peck Weiss’ cheek, making her pale partner flare red.

“Thank you, Weiss!”

Blushing fiercely still, Weiss rubbed her cheek bashfully as Ruby skipped over, flopping onto her bed, continuing to happily down Weiss’ cookies.

Suddenly, her miserable day of failures all felt worth it. Now, she just had to keep practicing, until she could make cookies for Ruby that were truly all her own…


	71. Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Wolf  
> Writer: Winter1112  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter1112

"Good morning, Vale! I'm Lisa Lavender, and thank you for joining me on this beautiful spring morning." The news announcer and morning talk show hostess smiles into the cameras she's more comfortable being around than most people. "Today is a momentous occasion, as it marks the fifth anniversary of the historic vote granting equal rights to the faunus. With me today is Weiss Rose, member of the legendary team RWBY, as well as one of the figureheads in the faunus's fight for equality."

Weiss smiles brilliantly for the camera that is pointed at her. She had volunteered for this today, considering Ruby gets horribly awkward speaking in public, Blake's history with the White Fang tends to get brought up more than is necessary, and Yang is just too damned unreliable. 

WVTV is still trying to find their old weather map, the Brawler having borrowed it to show her now ex wife Nora Valkyrie and promptly losing it. She's still banned from the property.

"Weiss, thank you again for joining us." The white wolf looks at Lisa and smiles charmingly.

"Thank you so much for having me." She replies smoothly as she picks up a nearby cup of coffee to take a sip. 

"Of course. Now, we have it understood that you as well as your wife will be attending tonight's banquet in honor of the anniversary of the historic vote. My question is, why did the heiress of the single largest corporation on all of Remnant decide to champion an issue like this? Especially in a nation that isn't even her own?"

Weiss blinks at the unexpected question, as well as her somewhat incorrect information. "Well, for one I'm a wolf faunus." She begins as she wiggles her ears and wags her tail for good measure. "A white wolf faunus who is happily married to a rabbit faunus, has had two children with her, and is eagerly anticipating the birth of our third. We live here in Vale, shop in Vale, our daughters are even set to start school here in Vale next year. Why wouldn't I want to help champion a cause that affects me directly?"

"Because you were a legal resident of Atlas at the time, weren't you?" The newswoman asks. "You didn't become a citizen of Vale until your marriage to Ruby Rose."

"This is true." She admits hesitantly, realizing too late she just gave Lisa an opening she shouldn't have.

"Then why would you, Weiss Rose, have any interest in championing faunus rights here in Vale? To be frank, there's nothing in it for you whatsoever."

"That's not true." She cuts the woman off as her tail begins to stand up in challenge. "Yes, I was and still am the heiress of the SDC, yes I was here on a student visa due to attending Beacon instead of Atlas, and yes, I had nothing to gain." She pauses a moment to put her next words in a proper order. "But I met a wonderful young woman at Beacon. A cookie nabbing, weapon crazed, beautiful, loving, perfect rabbit faunus who did live here in Vale. She became my Alpha during my four years at Beacon, and she did it by earning my respect and love." 

"That's not answering my question, Weiss."

"If you wait a moment, I will get there." Weiss growls, her temper starting to flare to life. "I proudly attended Beacon Academy during those four years, and I came to realize something. Unlike Atlas, where my people may never stand a fair chance of ever becoming true equals in the eyes of the law, Vale was on the precipice of doing something great!"

Lisa smiles. "So you decided to throw your own fame into the fight, hoping it would make a difference?"

Weiss pauses, memories of that final argument between herself and her father replaying in her head. "My father called me an animal." She suddenly whispers as her eyes unfocus. "A stupid beast following other beasts as they leap over the edge of a cliff."

Lisa blinks at that declaration from the white wolf. "What?"

Weiss sighs. "My father is no saint. And when I informed him that I would be returning to Beacon to continue my training, he called me an animal. Not even worthy of any kind of human kindness or courtesy." She looks at the hostess with sadness in her eyes. "My own father told me that a collar and leash suited me more than any finery I dared to wear."

"I…"

Weiss looks at the veteran anchorwoman, shaking her head at the dumbfounded look on her face. "He tried to disown me, he tried to send me away with nothing but the clothes on my back. He attempted to strip me of anything to do with the Schnee name and even tried to banish me from my own home nation. All for the sins of being his wolf faunus daughter and choosing for myself what path my life will lead." She pauses to take another sip of coffee before she continues, a wicked smile on her face. "Of course, then my Mother got home from her business trip to Menagerie, where she had been negotiating to begin opening new mines to benefit our people in our now officially recognized homeland. Her fury was awe inspiring as she quickly sent him packing instead."

Lisa looks away, a look of shame on her features as the young man next to the camera motioned that they are on a commercial break. "I'm sorry." She declares softly. "I guess I got too nosy for my own good."

"Don't be." Weiss replies calmly as she reaches over and takes the older woman's hand. "My life is perfect. I'm happily married, with amazing and wonderful friends, and a life that I chose for myself. And all of it here in my chosen home."

"Weiss, that doesn't excuse what I just did. I honestly thought you did it as some sort of publicity stunt for the SDC. To make you look good in front of the board of directors."

The white wolf smiles. "I fought for equal rights because Vale is my home now. The home I fight to protect with my pack and my Alpha by my side. I'm no longer the girl I was when I arrived nine years ago, with my eyes filled with stars and my ears filled with lies, with threats, with intimidation by my father."

Lisa nods. "I understand now."

Weiss once again smiles brilliantly. "I'm a white wolf who found a mismatched pack in a kind but mysterious panther, a map losing, punny golden dragon, and especially a beautiful singing rabbit. I've added to my pack with two beautiful little girls, and the Goddesses willing perhaps several more after the next. My father trying to disown me, while my mother finally witnessed for herself his true colors was the greatest thing to ever happen to me, and I have no regrets, Lisa."

She nods. "Now I understand why you fought for equal rights, and I myself can say you have more than earned my respect."

"Oh fudge! Get back here you two!" They both hear Ruby yell from backstage, a young wolf faunus girl with reddish black hair and blue sky blue eyes and a rabbit faunus girl with brilliant quicksilver eyes and long white hair crawling into the white wolf's lap a moment later.

"Mommy, can we go now?" The wolf girl whines.

"I'm hungry! I wanna cookie!" The rabbit girl chimes in as she pouts.

"Are these your daughters?" Lisa asks as smiles brightly.

The white wolf nods as she smiles in pride. "Summer and Luna. They'll be attending South Vale Elementary come fall."

Lisa blinks in her surprise. "My own children go there. It's a public school."

Weiss nods as she settles both girls on her lap. "Lisa, we are all citizens of Vale. We want our girls to grow up next to their friends, go to the same schools as them, and see where the future leads with them as well."

The anchorwoman smiles. "They're going to love South Vale! Do you know…"

Ruby smiles as she stands off stage and watches as the interview becomes a full on talk about the school, the teachers, as well as Lisa's own two children with her Jaguar faunus husband. Letting the girls go to Weiss had been a gamble, but it paid off in the long run, calming the proud white wolf down long enough to get her past the memories of her father. 

Ruby's own beautiful white wolf, who one wants to move the company to Vale, where she has found her pack and happiness.


	72. Thundering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Thundering  
> Writer: Sleingal  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sleingal/pseuds/Sleingal

Night time rolled in on the grounds of Beacon Academy. Team RWBY just finished eating dinner and are doing their nightly routines. Ruby and Yang are locked in a video game match. Blake grabbed one of her books and settled down on her bed. Weiss just finished her shower and is currently combing her long hair to dry it. 

Weiss peered through the curtains of the room and saw grey clouds gathering up, painting the sky a reddish tint . Blue eyes watched the clouds drift, hoping that it’s not what she thinks it is. 

Her reverie got broken when a loud whine came from the sisters. Blue eyes blinked, snapping out of her trance when she heard Ruby lamenting on her defeat while Yang proudly waved her scroll. The sound of the victory music playing over her scroll’s speakers.

“You still have years to go to beat me at my own character, Rubes!” Yang goated. She pats her sister’s messy hair to console her. 

A faint rumble from the distance caused one of Blake’s faunus ears to twitch. She momentarily looked up from her book and directed her attention towards the window. The rumble caused Weiss to flinch slightly in her seat. Luckily, no one saw her. 

“It’s gonna be a stormy night.” Blake said. Golden eyes gazed outside their window. A drop of rain went by the glass, which then was quickly followed by more. 

“Well, I’m beat!” Yang threw her scroll on her bunk before leaping up on it, rustling the already unstable bunk beds. Ruby dejectedly followed the same thing but not before shooting a glance at her partner. 

“You okay, Weiss?” Concern replaced the dejected look from losing the match. Ruby eyed her partner, who had stopped brushing her hair and was staring out of the window. 

“I’m fine.” Brushing her fear aside, Weiss quickly resumed brushing her hair.

A particular loud thunder woke Ruby up.

Sitting up, Ruby rubbed the sleep off her eyes. She turned her attention towards the window while trying to blink away the remaining sleep. The pitter patter of rain droplets turned into a storm after the team had gone to bed. Ruby watched the droplets slide down on the glass panel of their window. A lightning struck from the outside, causing their room to be illuminated for a brief moment. Ruby braced herself for the loud thunder that will roll after.

Once the thunder passed and her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ruby checked upon her teammates. 

Blake curled up tight on her bed, clutching a small pillow Yang gave her for her birthday. Her ears folded contentedly, undeterred but the rumble from the outside. Yang was snoring on her bed, half of her covers dangling from the top of the bunk. Ruby knows that her sister is out like a light and not even a thunder strong enough to shake the entire Academy could wake her until morning.

Which leaves her partner.

Ruby peered down, careful not to lean too much, so she could check upon her partner. She saw a mop of messy white hair sprawled over the mattress. Its owner continued to sleep, undisturbed by the storm. Shrugging when she deemed her team were still asleep, Ruby carefully made her way down on the ground. 

She was about to open the door out when another loud thunder rang. She closed her eyes, waiting for the rumble to subside. A quiet gasp accompanied the fading rumble, which caught the leader's attention. 

Silver eyes trailed back to her team. She didn’t notice Blake or Yang moving after that loud thunder.

Another strike and Ruby managed to see a ghost of a flinch from her partner. Hand leaving the door knob, Ruby made her way back inside and stood at the side of Weiss’ bed, careful to not make a sound. She used the light coming from the lightning to further see and saw Weiss flinching the moment thunder rolled in.

“Weiss?”

A soft whisper. 

At the sound of her name, Weiss flinched again, which Ruby noticed. 

“You okay?”

Before Weiss could respond, another strike of lightning flashed behind. Ruby braced herself for the oncoming loud rumble of thunder. Despite the quick flash, Ruby was able to make out the slightly shivering frame of her partner under the covers. Weiss visibility flinched when the thunder rang out. Her shaking lessened slightly after the thunder has passed. 

“Weiss?”

“Go to bed, Ruby.” Was the soft response Ruby heard. Ruby was a bit surprised her voice came out steady despite shaking from the storm. 

Another thunder.

Another flinch. 

“Scoot over.”

Weiss slowly turned around, eyes wide at the sudden suggestion. 

“I beg your pardon?” Weiss replied. Despite the bite in her words, she did move a little bit. Much to her confusion and surprise, her partner climbed over and made herself comfortable underneath her covers. Once settled in, Ruby let out a contented sigh. 

“What are you doing?!” The white-haired girl whispered. 

“What? This is what Yang usually does whenever there’s a storm.” Ruby replied. “She’d usually stay with me until it passes.”

Weiss was about to retort back when another flash of lightning brightened their room for a few seconds. Weiss instinctively hugged Ruby out of fear for what comes after the lightning. When the rumble passed, she opened her eyes and met soft silver eyes staring back at her. 

“It’s okay, Weiss…” Ruby whispered. She brought up a hand to gently caress her partner’s hair, hoping that it will help her calm down. 

“It’s okay to get scared. Everyone has their own fears.” Ruby continued rubbing her partner’s back. She could see that it’s doing wonders and Weiss is slowly visibly relaxing. 

“I’m sorry.” Weiss said once she had calmed down. She tightens her hold on her partner, in fear that Ruby might disappear once the thunder rolls in again. 

“Don’t be.” Tightening her hold as well, Ruby placed a soft kiss on her partner’s brow. “Come on, let’s go get some sleep.”

Ruby shifted to grab the heiress’ blanket and draped it over themselves. Weiss instinctively snuggled further on her partner’s neck, relishing in Ruby’s natural warmth. She could feel her eyelids drooping down as she’s enveloped in warmth and comfort, the thunderstorm outside forgotten in her mind. When Ruby felt her partner’s breath deepened, she placed one last kiss on Weiss’ forehead. 

“Good night, Weiss.”

With one last comforting squeeze, Ruby closed her eyes and followed her partner in the land of dreams. 


	73. Willow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Willow  
> Writer: Winter1112  
> Note: Bonus points to anyone who knows where this chapter's song choice came from! 

"Excuse me, I'm looking for Weiss Schnee." Ruby and Blake, who are currently enjoying a beautiful early spring day by reading on the grass near the fountain, look at each other in complete confusion.

"Why would Weiss be looking for herself?" The rabbit asks the panther, who shrugs.

"Maybe Yang finally broke her. We have been expecting it since Christmas." The raven haired faunus woman points out, the scars of their latest misadventure involving a shopping mall Father Yule and the brawler doing her best to not ruin the season for the heiress still fresh. 

"Yeah, maybe." They both hear Weiss once again ask another person for herself, shaking their heads in unison.

"Remind me to kick my sister in the head later." The rabbit faunus declares as she marks her page before closing her book. "With my boots on."

Blake nods in agreement as she copies the motions. "Let's go get your girlfriend."

"Ooo ooo, say it again."

"Weiss is your girlfriend, Ruby. You two still woke up in the same bed this morning after all." The panther deadpans, despite the small smile on her face. "I'm still so happy for you both."

Ruby is about to answer when Neo suddenly appears, actually running into the Reaper due to not paying any kind of attention to her surroundings. "Ack! Neo, watch it!"

"Sorry Ruby." She signs one handedly as she keeps staring at a familiar hairstyle, save with a huge difference. "When did Weiss go goth?"

"Qweh?!" The rabbit cries out as she follows the tabby cat's line of sight, which is currently directed at… A dark haired Weiss?! "What the cookies?!"

"Holy shit she's hot now." Neo signs as she begins to drift in Weiss's direction.

"Whoa! Hey! That's my obviously confused girlfriend, Neo! It took forever to get her hair to grow… Wait, when did her hair get back to being so long?!" Ruby cries out in confusion.

Blake nods. "It's barely back to her chin, and that's with that dust mix she said her mother's been sending her." She agrees as the rabbit and herself begin to follow the cat faunus towards the mystery.

As if on cue, the dark, long haired wolf faunus copy of her girlfriend turns around and smiles brilliantly. "Oh hi! I recognize you from my sister's Valebook!" She declares as she walks over, stopping to stare at Neo. "Ummmm, hi?"

"You're so beautiful…" The cat faunus signs as she smiles widely. 

But to all their surprises, Dark Weiss smiles as she begins to sign back as she talks. "Well thank you! You're beautiful yourself." She replies. "Give me a second please?" She asks before looking at Ruby. "Do you know where my sister is? My team and I just arrived for Vytal, and I'm dying to catch up!"

"Sister?" Ruby asks in growing bewilderment. "Weiss, why are you talking all crazy?! And what's with all the black?! And why are your eyes red?! What in the cookies is going on?!"

"Breath Ruby." Blake moves to her side, while offering her a brown bag to breathe into. "Excuse Ruby, she's a bit excitable. You must be Weiss's other sister? The one attending Haven?"

Her smile brightens as she curtseys. "My name is Willow Noir, and Weiss is my twin sister."

"You're way more beautiful than Weiss." Neo signs as she smiles dreamily, getting a giggle out of the wolf faunus.

"Careful, I love shorter girls." She teases even as she blushes a bit. "But seriously, any idea where my sister's hiding? I'd love to see her before I ask this absolutely adorable kitty out on a date."

Blake smiles as she rubs Ruby's back, while holding her cloak tightly to keep her from overreacting and committing a stupid. "She's actually in class right now. She has remedial math."

Willow rolls her eyes. "Still can't figure out one plus one, can she?" She replies before shaking her head. "Yet she can combine dust better than I can. I'm horrible at it."

"A Schnee who can't mix dust?" Neo asks in surprise. "The way Weiss talks, it's a birthright with all of you."

The wolf girl laughs heartily at the statement. "I tell you what, I'll buy the coffee and sweets if we can go sit down for a bit? And I'll be more than happy to explain why I'm terrible with dust, and why Winter isn't allowed near blast dust."

Blake nods as she uses her free hand to point. "The campus cafe isn't far. But the best coffee in Vale is at the Taste of Heaven. Ruby and Weiss would live there if they could, just for the coffee and cookies."

"I'm kinda curious now. How can you be bad with dust?" The cat faunus asks as she tilts her head.

"Patience, beautiful. I'll explain everything." She replies as she holds her arm out to the ice cream themed faunus girl. "Shall we?"

"Ok, that's it!" Ruby shrieks as Blake now has to struggle to hang onto her cloak. "Enough with the games, Weiss! Why are you doing this?!"

Willow is about to answer when a laughing white haired missile tackles her down. The two of them roll on the ground for several feet before coming to a laughing stop, the two wolf faunus girls hugging each other tightly.

"Lizzie!"

"Noiry!"

"Da fuck?!" Ruby's jaw drops right before she faints, her mind finally surrendering from the struggle to process the fact that there is in fact two Weiss's, and that they are hugging each other.

"Rabbit down." Blake deadpans with a smile, Neo shaking her head in her amusement.

Willow looks at Weiss in concern. "Is your girlfriend ok?" She asks, getting an answering nod.

"She doesn't do surprises well. I meant to warn her you were coming, but her first class this morning started before I even woke up." The white haired twin explains as she helps the other up. "Unfortunately, her fight or flight instinct is still geared heavily to one side or the other, and this happens when her Ruby.exe finally crashes."

"I see. I guess it's a good thing Salome helped me redye my hair last night. Otherwise she would really be freaking out." The raven haired twin points out.

"So you two are actually identical?" Blake asks as Neo throws Ruby over a shoulder with ease. 

Willow taps her face next to her left eye. "I have heterochromia. It's the only way to tell us apart whenever I strip all the black out of my hair, which is quite often since it's only me at Haven."

Weiss nods. "It runs in our family. Unfortunately, she does get mistaken for an albino quite often."

"A sexy albino." Neo is now visibly drooling.

"Is she ok?" Willow asks her twin, who nods with a small smile.

"Excuse Neo, she has a thing for goths." She explains as they begin to walk towards the cafe, her tail wagging in time with her twins. "Goddess but I've missed you, Noiry."

"Me too Lizzie. We really need to visit more often." She replies as they begin to chat, Blake and Neo following behind them while Neo carries Ruby, who is muttering something about snow angels and red eyed demons….

* * *

"Ruby! Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby Ruby!" Willow chants repeatedly as she grabs the rabbit faunus by her arm and drags her into her guest quarters in Green Dorm. For her part, the younger girl sighs as she looks at Weiss's clone, still unconvinced that she's her actual twin.

"What is it, Nega Weiss?" She asks resignedly as her ears flop down onto her head.

"Please stop calling me that." The black wolf asks her before biting her lower lip. "And I need some advice." She adds quietly.

"About what?" 

"Neo. My team is taking her's on tomorrow during the preliminary matches. I don't know what to do!" She whines as she begins to pull on her long hair, definitely not a Weiss thing to do. Her white wolf would be wringing her hands constantly to the point that she would need to take them before she rubs the skin off of them.

"You… you really like her, don't you?" The Reaper asks in surprise as she reaches over and gently untangles the other girl's hands from her hair before she starts ripping it out by the roots. 

"Yes! She's so sweet, and funny, and she loves to cuddle while we watch movies on my scroll. I love the smell of her perfume, and we both like our coffee the same way, and she's so freaking adorable to watch while she eats sweets!" Willow whimpers. "I don't want to lose, but I wasn't expecting to take her on in Vytal either!"

"Then give her a fight to remember." Ruby replies back confidently with a nod of her head. "Take her on, show her just how strong you are."

"Wait, what?!" The black wolf cries out in a near panic, the rabbit faunus handing her a brown bag.

"Look, Neo basically grew up with me. Mom and Grams trained her with Yang, then me when I decided to become a huntress." Ruby informs her as her girlfriend's clone breathes into the bag to calm herself. "Neo's the best fighter in our year, because she's trained herself harder than anyone else to prove that someone with a disability can still become a huntress. You want to show her you really respect her? Prove it to her in a fight. Acknowledge her skills by doing your best to kick her ass, and not by panicking because you're going to be on Hush's business end."

"I see." She murmurs as the bag lowers from her mouth, her breathing once again normal. "I may need to send for Schwarznaster then." 

The rabbit tilts her head. "You have a second weapon?" 

The wolf smiles back. "Thank you for the advice, Ruby. I shall definitely take it under advisement." She replies as she takes her scroll out of her pocket and begins to type.

"Uh sure, no problem Nega Weiss." 

"For the love of the Goddesses Three, will you please stop calling me that?!"

"Nope."

* * *

-Two Years Later-

* * *

"Ladies and Gentlemen." Ruby announces as she stands up with a microphone in hand. Neo had asked her to be her rabbit maid of honor for her wedding to Willow, to which she said yes immediately. "Neo has been one of my best friends since we started attending Longshoreman elementary school in kindergarten. We've had a lot of good times, some bad times, and there was that one time at Signal…"

"Hey! We agreed to never, ever talk about that!" Cinder yells by her place next to Pyrrha, who is laughing behind her hand. 

Neo swats at her, a smile on her own face. "Ok, ok. Ignore that last part. But what I'm trying to say is I'm thrilled Neo finally found her happily ever after with Willow. She was the first person to treat Neo like she deserved to be treated, she was the first person to love my favorite Kittie bestie like I expected her to be treated, and I'm thrilled for them both!" She gushes excitedly as the tabby cat faunus continues to blush a brighter and brighter red. But the Reaper smiles and nods in approval as Willow takes her new wife's hand and holds it lovingly.

"Ruby!" Weiss calls out from a small stage, a band surrounding her. "Are you quite done embarrassing my new sister in law? I'd love to sing now."

"Wait wait wait!" The faunus woman replies as she smiles brightly. "One last thing." She leans down and hugs the other faunus girl, who hugs her back. "Nobody's happier for you than I am, Neo."

"Thank you, Ruby." She mouths back as Willow stands and offers her bride a hand to stand with. 

"Ok, Snowflake, all yours!" 

"Willow, you made me work to figure out a song to perform for your first dance as wife and wife." The white wolf calls out to her twin. "And honestly, thank or blame Salome, she suggested this one."

Everyone watches as the two of them move out to the middle of the dancefloor as a pianist as well as a DJ begin to play, the newlyweds all smiles as the raven haired wolf faunus's tail is a blur, Neo's waving happily.

_ For the way you changed my plans _

_ For being the perfect distraction _

_ For the way you took the idea that I have _

_ Of everything that I wanted to have _

_ And made me see there was something missing, oh yeah _

Weiss smiles as Ruby joins her, her mic still in her own hand and a matching smile on her own face as Willow twirls Neo around before pulling her back into her arms, the mute girl laughing silently in her delight.

_ For the ending of my first begin _

_ (Ooh, yeah yeah, ooh, yeah yeah) _

_ And for the rare and unexpected friend _

_ (Ooh, yeah yeah, ooh, yeah yeah) _

_ For the way you're something that I'd never choose _

_ But at the same time, something I don't wanna lose _

_ And never wanna be without ever again _

_ You're the best thing I never knew I needed _

_ So when you were here I had no idea _

_ You are the best thing I never knew I needed _

_ So now it's so clear, I need you here always _

Other couples begin to filter out onto the dance floor, including Pyrrha and Cinder, as well as Summer and Adaliz, who beams in pride as she winks at her daughter.

_ My accidental happily _

_ (Ever after) _

_ The way you smile and how you comfort me _

_ (With your laughter) _

_ I must admit you were not a part of my book _

_ But now if you open it up and take a look _

_ You're the beginning and the end of every chapter _

_ You're the best thing I never knew I needed _

_ So when you were here I had no idea _

_ (When you were here) _

_ You the best thing I never knew I needed _

_ (That I needed) _

_ So now it's so clear, I need you here always _

_ (Now it's so clear) _

Weiss and Ruby continue to sing as they watch the newlyweds continue to dance, everyone still giving them the center of the floor as they have eyes only for each other. But the White Rose couple look at each other as they continue, their own eyes only for each other.

_ Who knew that I could be _

_ (Who knew that I could be) _

_ So unexpectedly _

_ (So unexpectedly) _

_ Undeniably happier _

_ Sitting with you right here, right here next to me _

_ Girl, you're the best _

_ You're the best thing I never knew I needed _

_ (Said I needed) _

_ So when you were here I had no idea _

_ (When you were here) _

_ (Said I had no idea) _

_ You're the best thing I never knew I needed _

_ (That I needed) _

_ So now it's so clear I need you here always _

_ (Now it's so clear) _

_ (So clear, so clear, I need you always) _

_ Now it's so clear, I need you here always _

Willow and Neo share a loving kiss as the last cords of the song play, everyone applauding for them as the band's normal singer returns. Ruby and Weiss pass over their microphones as they leave the stage quietly hand in hand, Ruby's grandmother Elizabeth meeting them and walking out with them while a new song begins…

* * *

"Are the two of you sure about this?" The elder huntress asks them both as they change into their normal huntress wear. 

"Tonight is about Willow and Neo." Weiss replies as she finishes braiding her hair. 

"Yeah, they don't need to know we had to leave on a hunt with Nora and Ren till tomorrow." Ruby adds as she takes her cloak from her grandmother, who nods as she looks at them with pride. 

"I think your mothers are talking about a relationship of their own." Elizabeth informs them, getting a smile from Ruby.

"There's something about these Schnee women, Grams." The Reaper admits as she finishes her preparations. "Something about them is perfect."

Weiss blushes as she moves to the door, her hand held out. "Come along, my Dolt, before Nora comes here and drags us out while making a scene."

"You bet Snowflake." She calls back before hugging the older woman. "Thanks, Grams. See you when we get back."

"Of course, my little bunny. My prayers with you both." The Rose Matriarch replies as she watches the couple take each other's hands and leave quietly. She respects the fact that they didn't want to make a scene by informing Willow and Neo they were leaving, and agreed to help them make a quick getaway. Of course, it takes every bit of self restraint she has not to scream and swing Damnation when someone clears their throat behind her.

"I take it they left?" Willow smiles as she keeps a safe distance.

"Hmph. So you did know." The older rabbit faunus woman grumbles as she puts her Great Axe away.

"Weiss thinks far too loudly when she's planning a mission." The younger woman admits. "And neither of them are the type to stay long either. Weiss has always loathed large gatherings like this, and Ruby gets too nervous."

Elizabeth nods in agreement as she walks up and takes one of Willow's arms. "You know my granddaughter well then." She declares as she guides the newlywed back to her own party. "They wanted tonight to be all about you, young lady. And you will respect their wishes."

"Yes ma'am." She replies as she smiles even more brightly, her tail once again a blur. "Out of respect for Ruby and Weiss introducing me to the greatest thing I never knew I needed…"


	74. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Breakfast  
> Author:Avistar123  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avistar123/works  
> Summary: Learning how to make food hadn’t exactly been either Weiss’s motive when she first came to Beacon, but given the right incentive, one can always learn for the people that matter.

Weiss didn’t come to Beacon to strengthen her skills in the culinary arts. She came here to be the best Huntress she could be. But, when you have a partner whose appetite was almost legendary for being matched by only Nora, some things just couldn’t be avoided. After all, as Ruby’s partner, she was responsible for her well-being and unfortunately, that included making sure her partner got the adequate food she needed when she woke up.

She didn’t exactly understand why she felt this way however, she was obviously concerned for Ruby’s well-being as a friend, but she didn’t quite understand why the thought of making breakfast for Ruby was so appealing to her. After all, it wasn’t like she ever had to do it in the Schnee household.

But nevertheless, as she started to make food, she quickly found she wasn’t at all equipped with either the right knowledge, or the right ingredients to make food. Her attempt at making pancakes, seemed to resemble burnt toast, almost all the eggs she took either ended up on her, or on the floor, or into the dustbin because of how inedible they were. And the less said about the waffles, the better.

To put it shortly, Weiss had absolutely no idea what she was doing and given the mess in the kitchen, she wondered why on earth she hadn’t just ordered something. It would have been simpler, easier and a lot more efficient. But she couldn’t deny that some part of her would be disappointed for taking the easy way out.

But at this rate what other option did she have? 

“Weiss! What are you doing up so early?” Came a voice from her right, nearly making her drop her scroll. 

“Ahh!”

“Relax Ice Queen. It’s me, Yang.” Said the blonde, finally entering the kitchen with her. “I heard an awful lot of commotion coming from the kitchen, and heard some rather… unique words, like seriously Weiss, I had to look up some of them on the CCT just to understand what you were saying.” 

Ears reddening as she remembered her earlier… outburst, she wondered just how this day could have gotten off to a worse start.

“Jeez Weiss, I don’t think I’ve seen a mess quite like this one since the last time someone tried to cut my hair.” She commented, deepening her embarrassment as she clenched her fists and looked down at the ground.

“How did this happen? Wait, lemme guess, you tried to make some breakfast for Blake righttt?” Yang asked with a cheeky smile. 

“What no! I was making this for Rr-“She replied sharply, stopping herself before she ended up saying Ruby’s name. 

Unfortunately, she was too late.

“Ruby right? Didn’t know ya had a heart in there Weiss.” She joked with a smile, effectively destroying any shred of dignity still left in her. 

Sighing deeply, she said “Yes. I was making it for Ruby.”

“Aww, that’s so sweet. What’s the occasion?” Yang replied, not helping reduce her embarrassment.

“Nothing! I just… I just wanted to try and make some breakfast for her.”

“Are you sure about that? Are you repaying a favor orr, I dunno, trying to propose to her?” she asked, making her ears stand up fully reddened. 

“No! It’s nothing like that. YANG XIAO LONG, I- “

“Easy there princess, I’m not gonna tell, but seriously if you wanna make some actual food for Ruby, you need to get the basics right at least.” Yang said, opening the pantry and taking out some chocochip cookies, some strawberry syrup and even some extra sugar?

“Uhhh, Yang? Isn’t that a bit too much sugar?”

“Remember, Weiss this is Ruby we’re talking about. She’s always had a huge, sweet tooth. If you want her to enjoy breakfast just make her something sweet.”

“Isn’t that going to be a risk to her health?” Weiss asked, genuinely concerned given the quantity Yang had chosen.

“Nah, she’s pretty much used to this since she was a baby. If you ask her, she would say something like it powers her semblance or something. But no Weiss, it won’t affect her that much.” Yang said, taking out some pancake batter and mixing it with some chocolate chips. “Are ya taking notes Weiss? Cause if you wanna make food for my baby sis, then you better be prepared.”

Reluctantly taking out her notebook, she resigned to her fate and said “Okay Yang. Tell me how to be the best cook I can be for Ruby.”

* * *

_  
_ “Yum! This is delicious!” Ruby said, while snacking on her breakfast. Today Weiss had cooked something special for her seeing as how it was the fifth anniversary of her first joining Beacon Academy.

It was a scrumptious meal of Chocochip Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup, Waffles and Cookies! All her favorites! And that too made by Weiss! Honestly speaking that had been easily the best part of the whole experience. After all, this food was great and all but the fact that Weiss spent her own time to make this for Ruby was what clinched it all together for her.

After all, what was better than having food be made for you by your girlfriend! Welll, maybe a proposal but at this rate she was just happy to have food made by the most important person in her life! Well other than her team, but Weiss was special in her own way! Her entire team was!

Still though, this one felt extra special! Almost like there was going to be some surprise but if she was being honest, she didn’t really need one. Just having food made by Weiss was enough of a great surprise. 

“Slow, down will you? I would prefer that you savored the food.” Weiss said, sitting down with her grapes. How she managed to sustain her entire breakfast off just that she had no idea. “So how is it?”

“Amazing! It feels like the ones I used to have in Beacon but like 100 times better!” She said, chomping into the waffles, which were again, impeccably made.

“Glad to see  _ some changes _ came for the better since Beacon.” Weiss commented.

“Yeah, but honestly, you weren’t that bad when you started off Weiss. Just you know…”

“A lot to handle?”

“Kindaaaa?”

“It’s okay Ruby, no need to mince words any longer, we’re marri- “Weiss said, before sharply stopping herself again.

“What did you just say Weiss?”

“We’re dating after all!” Weiss quickly said, almost as if she was correcting herself. “Why don’t you eat into one of those cookies? I was trying out a new recipe for them.”

“Okay!” Ruby said, smiling as she grabbed the center cookie and bit into it.

What she tasted felt like pure heaven as the gooey chocolate fell apart into her mouth. As the flavors took over her mind she felt almost as if she was in pure bliss, before eventually she found her teeth hit something hard.

Removing the object from her mouth, she found a tiny box. One that was strangely black in color. 

“Uhh Weiss? I found this box in the cookie?”

“Huh, why don’t you open it?” Weiss said with a smile.

Opening the box, she found a note scrolled up and a… ring? 

“Weiss?” she asked, her heart pounding as Weiss looked to her with sparkling eyes.

“Read it.”

‘Dearest Ruby Rose,

For so long, my heart has wandered around this earth, looking to prove itself to the world, to prove that it was worthy. But now, all I want is to prove myself to you, for you are my world. Whether you accept my proposal or not, is up to you but no matter what choice you make, just know, I am so grateful I met you all those nights ago in Beacon. I never knew what would’ve happened if I didn’t meet you but if I’m being honest, I don’t want to ask anymore. For I have already with whom I want my fairytale ending.

You.

-With Love, Weiss Schnee’

“So, Ruby Rose. Will you, mfmffffff.” Weiss began to ask, when Ruby interrupted, giving her the answer, she always wanted to say since the day they started dating.

“YES! YES! YES!” She said, giving Weiss a kiss on her lips, before finally breaking free to let her place the ring on her finger.

“I can’t believe it took me so long to do this.” Weiss admitted, resting her head against Ruby, glancing at the ring now placed on Ruby’s finger.

“I can’t believe I didn’t figure it out sooner! I mean you almost gave it up there!” Ruby said, giving a kiss on Weiss’s cheek. 

“Well then I suppose you won’t have to worry about me ever lying to you then.” Weiss replied with the biggest smile she had ever seen from her. 

“Hahaha! I don’t think we’ll ever have to worry about that Weiss.” Ruby said, giving Weiss a huge hug.

Ever since she came into Beacon, Ruby had always dreamed about getting her fairytale ending.

**And now with Weiss, she could very safely say, she had it and she wouldn’t want it any other way.**


	75. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Sick
> 
> Writer: Muffin_Fox5  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Muffin_Fox5  
> Summary: Ruby's sick and could use some help navigating the Scjnee manor. Lucky(?) her eager help has arrived to guide her.

Most people who attempt to sneak out of their girlfriend’s fully staffed mega mansion wouldn’t attempt such a brazen attempt when they had a uncontrollable and spontaneous sneeze to deal with, but being caught tissue in hand was a risk she had to take...or at least she believed it was a viable reason to take that risk before the soul crushing boredom of being locked away in her girlfriend’s room would consume her.

So here she was, tiptoeing as quietly as she could down the Schnee manor’s porcelain hallways in search of the path towards the main hall and out the manor. An easy task to be sure for the wait staff and the Schnee’s who hadn’t been incarcerated to be sure, after all they lived in this manor for many years. Unfortunately for Ruby however…

“Look I promise this will be just our secret, but I’m begging you to please tell me where I am!!” Ruby pleaded as she continued to kneel in the presence of the late Nicholas Schnee portrait. Pleading for instructions from it whether by some fever induced insanity or simple desperation to regain her bearings. Hours of lost wandering coupled with a series of coarse coughs and sickly sneezes made the distinction between the two choices a blur. 

“I’ve passed the same fancy looking vase for the billionth time now, pleeeeease reveal your secrets to meeeee. I...I…” Ruby wasn’t able to finish that sentence before an ubrut sneeze had cut off her words and rocket out of her mouth, but not before Ruby had the foresight to pull down her face mask and retrieve her handkerchief so that the contents of the sneeze were contained. Once she was finished blowing her nose, the sickly girl let out a disgusted and pained groan as she returned the cloth to her pocket and returned the mask to its previous position on her face. With all the racket she was causing it was no wonder she couldn't hear the footsteps of the youngest Schnee approaching her from behind.

“I don’t think dear old grandfather is in much position to be revealing much of anything by himself right now Ruby.” With no real prior warning or declaration as to his arrival, it was no surprise when Ruby let out a sudden cry of shock as she twirled around and was greeted by the usual smug grin that Weiss’s younger brother was known for. “I however am in a prime position to provide you with the answers you're looking for if you're interested.” 

While the youngest Schnee had also put in effort in repairing the relationship between his sister’s and him, Ruby still had some valid reservations towards blindly accepting the help of the more devious of the three Schneeblings. Ruby was confident that Weiss would instruct the manor staff to alert her if they spotted the silver-eyed serial escapee but she wasn’t sure if Whitley would be as inclined to follow through with his sister’s instructions.

Ruby realized that there was a risk in accepting Whitley’s help, but an abrupt and violent sneeze quickly squashed those reservations she once held close. That and the now wet surface of the inside of her mask making contact with her face also played a part in accepting the offered assistance.

“Please and thank you.” Ruby said, another sickening groan following after her confirmation as she stood up and followed behind the youngest Schnee. 

“There’s no need for gratitude Ruby. After all you’ve only been living with us for about two month now, it’s only right that I offer assistance to you whenever I can.” Whitley said, “and besides, my sister has declared you as her family and the love of her life. What kind of brother would I be if I intentionally ignored my sister’s girlfriend in her time of peril.” 

“Ahh, that’s actually really sweet of you to offer Whitley.” Ruby said in her nasally voice, a string of coughs following after her as she continued to follow the younger boy down the hallways of Schnee manor. “But you're wrong on one thing though.” Her vague statement encouraged Whitley to abruptly stop in his tracks so he could turn around and face the sick girl while he waited for her to expand on her point. “Weiss is my family sure, but that also means I’m your family also!” Ruby punctuated her point with an enthusiastic thumbs up thanks to her mask obscuring the bright and eager smile she had been wearing right now. “If you need any help you can always feel free to ask me for any help whatsoever.” Whitley had been wearing a surprised expression throughout Ruby’s declaration the whole time, but as she wrapped it up his expression returned to its previous scheme riddled smirk he wore. 

“Well I appreciate the sentiment Ruby, although at this point in time I don’t think I’ll be the one needing help right now.” Whitley said, prompting a sheepish chuckle from the silver-eyed girl.

“Yeah I guess you're right huh. 2 months in this place and I still can’t find my way around is pretty bad right?” Ruby said, briefly letting out another sheepish chuckle as her statement ended before it was cut off by a loud hacking cough. “Ugh, it hurts to laugh sometimes.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but in terms of you needing assistance I’m afraid you misunderstood what I meant.” It was now Ruby’s turn to wear a puzzled expression on her face at the youngest Schnee’s words. She was about to question his words' meanings, but the sight of a stern and annoyed Weiss Schnee rounding the corner behind her younger brother quickly solved Ruby’s previous confusion. 

“Huh...well now isn’t this a surprise?” Weiss said, the glare from her crystal blue eyes instructing the guilty girl to freeze in place while her girlfriend continued to approach her. “Now I know I was certain that after our last, ‘chat’, you would have understood that I was adamant about you staying in bed. It seems however that my message’s intentions must have still been a tad bit vague.” She then began to walk up to the frightened girl, the sounds of her heels making contact with the porcelain floor below the tree being the only sound filling the air as Ruby surrendered to the imminent fate approaching her. 

On her way to her target however, she made sure to pat the shoulder of the grinning youngest Schnee sibling as she passed by him. “I can’t thank you enough for your assistance in returning my girlfriend to me Whitley.” Weiss said.

“A pleasure as always to assist you dear sister.” Whitley said in response, further cementing the evidence of his betrayal to the frozen stiff girl in front of them.

Weiss didn’t break her stride as she walked past the frozen stiff girl, reaching behind her as she passed by Ruby so that she could grab a hold of the hood of her cloak. ensuring that she had a reliable grip on the girl as she dragged her back to her previous holding place.

“Not to worry though, I’ll ensure that my message this time is understood loud and clear.” Weiss said, the intensity in her voice sending a chill down Ruby’s spine as she was dragged back along with her sister, her fear induced eyes catching the amused crystal blue gaze of the younger Schnee waving goodbye to her. 

“I would wish you good luck Ruby, but Weiss made it clear that this would be the best bet for you.” Whitley said. Ensuring that Ruby felt the full sting of his betrayal before she was pulled out of sight of the miniature schemer. 


	76. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lunch  
> Writer: xx-whiterose  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxwhiterose  
> Summary: Ruby and Weiss meet for lunch coffee, or well, at least Weiss was supposed to be meeting Ruby for lunch.  
> A/N: ooga booga coffee shop au

She’s fifteen minutes late.

That’s the first thing Ruby notices. Usually, Weiss is sitting in their seat by the window, just under the letter ‘s’, with her white jacket and red scarf that was constantly around her neck.

The second thing Ruby notices is that she’d bitten down to the quick on her thumb, so she moves to her other hand to start chewing on that nail instead.

Ruby checks her cracked phone again, loading the messages that she’d been trading with Weiss with a sigh. 

_ ‘I’ll be a few minutes late.’ _

Ruby spins the little spoon in her coffee around, the beverage long gone cold. She didn’t want to start without Weiss, but she hadn’t expected her to be  _ this  _ late. She only had fifteen minutes until she went back on shift.

“Why so blue, Rubes?” Yang asked as she got closer, holding a tray full of dirty coffee mugs and plates on one hand. The tall blonde nodded towards the untouched cold coffee Ruby was spinning mindlessly. “Girlfriend didn’t show?”

“Yang,” Ruby sighed, leaning back into the faux leather seat, “She’s not my girlfriend… yet.”

“Well, she is the co-owner of the Schnee Dust Company now,” Yang replied, setting the tray down onto the table and adding Ruby’s abandoned drink onto it, “She’s probably stuck in some crummy office meeting or something.”

“Yeah,” Ruby rubs her face with a yawn, massaging sand from the corners of her eyes. Her sister looked up, lilac eyes glancing out the window to the stormy day that awaited outside. She nods to something outside.

“There’s your knight in shining armor,” Yang hummed, lifting the tray she’d set down back into her hands and turning away from her younger sibling, “I’ll go get your usual again.”

“Thanks Yang,” Ruby called as her sister disappeared behind the counter, sliding behind the main kitchen door and vanishing from sight. Not a moment later, Ruby heard the quiet chime of a bell ring as the door to their coffee shop was pushed open. Behind it followed the person Ruby had been waiting for, Weiss Schnee, who looked more bedraggled then she usually did. Ruby could hear her muttering something under her breath as she shook raindrops from her thick, white jacket.

“Sorry I’m so late, Ruby,” Weiss said as she came closer, folding her coat over the back of the chair opposite Ruby and sitting down, “I was in a meeting trying to undo my father’s actions over the years.”

“How did it go?” Ruby asked.

“Not good,” Weiss sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh that deflated her frame, “It’s all such a mess. I never knew how bad it had gotten before now.”

Ruby’s brows furrowed, studying Weiss gently. It had been a few days since they’d got to see each other again, but even within those few days, Ruby noticed how deep gouges had been carved from beneath Weiss’ eyes, and how her hair wasn’t as neatly kept as it usually was.

“You’ve been neglecting yourself again, haven’t you?”

Weiss’ beautiful ocean blue eyes lock onto Ruby’s studying silver, and immediately crumble under the weight of Ruby’s accusation. Her gaze fell to the empty cup holster that sat on the table before her.

“I’ve just been busy. I can return to my usual routine when this all blows over,” she said, pulling her scarf from around her neck and folding it neatly on her lap. Ruby huffed, folding her arms.

“Weiss, you can’t keep doing this to yourself,” Ruby sighed.

“It’s fine, Ruby,” Weiss snarled, “Like I said, I can return to my normal routine when I’m finished with the faunus rights.”

Ruby decides not to push the topic further, instead deciding to slump back into the comfortable leather of the chair. She pays no heed to Weiss’ disapproving stare, “I don’t have very long now. I’m due to be back on shift in fifteen minutes.”

Weiss’ eyes widen ever so slightly, before she glances to her scroll. Disappointment flashes across her face as she reads the time, “Gods, I didn’t realise I was this late. We can reschedule for another time? Though, when I’ll be free again…”

“It’s cool,” Ruby says with a shrug, before pulling herself back up straight as she spots Yang exit the kitchen. She clears her throat, “I, uh, went ahead and ordered for you. Flat black with nothing in it, right?”

Weiss looks back as Yang moves behind her shoulder, flashing the heiress a smile before winking at Ruby as she hands out the coffee. Weiss takes the mug graciously, cupping her small hands around the cup and embracing the heat. Then she takes a gentle sip, and Ruby feels pride bubble in her chest (or maybe it was something else?) as a smile is cut into Weiss’ cheeks.

“It’s perfect, as per usual,” Weiss hums, sighing a breath that looked like it let all the stress and tension across her form accompany it. Ruby finds herself mirroring the look, a heat blossoming from her heart. Her gaze fell downward, to look at her own coffee that Yang had handed her. The letters ‘R + W’ were carved into the top of it with cocoa powder, rousing an embarrassed blush from the barista.

“How have you been, then?” Weiss asks, her hands still cupped securely around her coffee. Ruby looks up and laughs awkwardly, reaching up to rub at the back of her neck.

“I tried applying for that art college you suggested,” Ruby began, peaking Weiss’ interest immediately. The ivory haired woman lifted her mug to her lips.

“Well?” She asked into the mug.

“I got a placement in digital media,” Ruby continued, “But I don’t know if I want to take it.”

Weiss eyes widen from behind the rim of her coffee, lowering the hot beverage from her face, “Why not? I think it’d be a wonderful opportunity for you. You’re very talented in that kind of thing.”

Ruby reels her head back slightly, “I’m not  _ that  _ good. I’m convinced they sent me an acceptance letter by mistake.”

“Ruby Rose, you know you’re good at drawing,” Weiss said with a stern voice, gaining another whine of protest from the brunette across from her, “You were accepted because they knew that too. You should have a little self appreciation. Not everyone gets onto that course, y’know.”

“I know,” Ruby conceded, taking her first sip from her own coffee, “But I don’t want to leave Yang and Dad alone running this place.”

“What about that new girl? Bella, was it?”

“Blake,” Ruby corrected, “What about her?”

“Yes, the faunus girl.” Weiss settles back into her chair, “I’m sure three people are enough to run this place, and you can always work here part-time.”

“I guess,” Ruby mumbles, stirring her coffee again absentmindedly, “But I think I need to think it over a bit more. The term doesn’t start till September anyway.”

“Well, whatever decision you make is up to you. If you ever need help with student loans, you know where to go,” Weiss finishes her coffee, gently placing the cup back onto the saucer with a cling, “The SDC is more than willing to give grants for further education.”

Ruby scoffed, raising a brow, “Since when?”

Weiss smirks back, sending butterflies racing up Ruby’s throat, “Since now.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that, Weiss,” Ruby hummed, although she knew she wouldn’t be able to pay off student debt if she did end up enrolling. Beacon was one of the most prestigious colleges on Remnant, there was no doubt the fees would be astronomical. Not to mention, Ruby had managed to be accepted as a non-mature student. Most of the other students would probably have a well-supporting job that could pay for it.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Weiss waved her hand dismissively in the air, “Depending on how tonight goes, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Ruby cocks her head, “What’s going on tonight?”

“I was getting to that part,” Weiss looks up to meet Ruby’s eyes of molten silver, “I want to invite you over for dinner. Consider it an extension to this date, as an apology for my tardiness.”

Ruby can feel heat crawling up her neck and pooling on her face at the invite, “L-like, stay the night?”

Weiss shrugs, “I’m not entirely against the idea. I have plenty of room.”

Ruby’s pretty sure all her rational thoughts were shutting down one by one and being replaced with static. She nodded wordlessly, coughing to clear her throat when she found it to be stuck, “When w-would you like me to go over?”

There’s something hidden in the back of Weiss’ eyes now, but Ruby can’t make out exactly what it is and if she should be scared or not. She knew Weiss months now from her frequent visits to the coffee shop, that ruled out stranger danger… right?

“I can pick you up at your apartment after work. If that suits you, of course,” Weiss suggested, reaching into her coat pocket and rustling around for a moment, before finding a notepad and pen. “Here.”

“Okay.” Ruby took the offered items with a nervous smile, starting to scribe down her address onto the sheet of paper, “Uhm, what time do you actually finish work?”

Weiss thought for a moment, “Usually around eight or nine.”

Ruby finished writing, dropping the pen back onto the table and handing back the notepad, “That’s really late, huh?”

“Yes, well,” Weiss glanced at Ruby had written for a moment, before putting it and the pen back into her pocket, “The glamorous life of a Schnee isn’t for the lazy, nor faint of heart.”

Ruby chuckled warmly, “No wonder it suits you so well.” Ruby took it as a victory as a deep red painted Weiss’ porcelain skin, a smile gracing her own features. She glanced at the clock, sadness quenching the comforting fire that had begun to burn in her chest as she realised that her last fifteen minutes of her break were almost up. “Ah, shoot, I’ve got to get back to work.”

Weiss sighed, standing from her seat and stretching out her back, “I should get back to the offices, too. I’m sure Whitely will be looking for me.”

Ruby joined her on her feet, reaching for her apron and lifting it back over her head, “I’ll message you when I’m home.” Ruby met Weiss’ gaze, who was watching her as Ruby tied her hair back out of her face. 

Their eyes lingered on each other for a moment. Then a moment too long.

“Ruby! Get your butt back here, I want to go on break already!” Yang calls from the counter, “You can give Weiss baby eyes tonight when you're sharing her bed.”

And... the moment was gone.

“ _ YANG- _ ” Ruby screams, turning as red as the apron tied around her. Weiss has turned bright red too, coughing to clear her throat as she pulls her coat back over her shoulders.

“I’ll come get you tonight, Ruby,” Weiss said, her eyes avoiding Ruby’s face at all costs, not that Ruby wasn’t doing the same. In fact, now she was glaring down her sister, who was laughing at the sight of the flustered women.

“I’ll see you then… then,” Ruby responded, gathering the cups from the table in her hands. 

“Come ooon, lovebirds!”

“Yang, please,  _ shut up _ .”


	77. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Writer: Rose Quill  
> Link to Writer: https://www.archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_Quill/works  
> Summary: Winter is coming to see the house that her sister is living in. Ruby is a little panicked, knowing the stories she's heard from Weiss.

Ruby was terrified.

Winter was coming to visit, Weiss had told her before she had left for work. She wanted to make sure that her little sister was “living in an acceptable place” with her new fiance.

As a consequence, Ruby had spent the day cleaning - and in some instances, recleaning - anything that could be considered unseemly. She’d never met Winter, but according to Weiss she was a demanding individual at times and Ruby certainly wanted to make a good impression. She wanted to see the look on Weiss’ face when she was deemed appropriate for her, her mind’s eye already conjuring up the tilt of her love’s ears and the swishing of her tail.

Her imagination also called forth an image of a taller Weiss, colder in gaze and ears notched from fighting, tail held stiff the entire time as she stalked up and down the halls, running a gloved finger along a bookshelf looking for dust. She shook her head to clear the image and went to run a cloth over the bookshelf again, just to be safe.

She jumped at the sound of the door closing, but relaxed when she heard the sound of Wiess’ keys clattering in the bowl on the table by the door.

“Ruby?” Weiss called out.

“In here,” Ruby called, giving the last shelf a quick swipe.

Weiss looked around, surprise evident on her face as she took in the state of the living room.

“This is… Did you do this?” Weiss asked.

Ruby puffed herself up a touch, feeling proud. Sure, they kept the place relatively clean, save the random dust bunny or letting dishes wait till morning, but she wanted the place in tip-top shape. She wanted more than anything to be liked by Winter. It was evident that the two Schnee sisters were close and she refused to become an issue of contention.

“You know Winter won’t care about cleanliness, right?” Weiss commented as she peeled off her blazer and folded it gently over the back of the armchair that she then collapsed into.Ruby stared at her for a moment.

“What?”

Before either could continue, the door opened and closed again, unfamiliar footsteps sounding as a tall woman with white hair came into view. In her arms she held a grocery bag and looked around in confusion.

She was completely devoid of tattered ears, wolf or otherwise. She had some basic similarities to her sister, but in the brief glimpse Ruby had seen, she couldn’t detect a single Faunus trait.

“Which way to the kitchen?” Winter asked, her voice a little deeper but more gentle than Ruby had pictured. This was who she had been dreading? Surely there was more to come.

“It’s just to the left.” Weiss rose and grabbed her blazer. “I’ll show you where everything is then get changed. It has been an absolute day.”

Winter chuckled. “Whitley?”

“Whitley.” She looked at Ruby. “Would you mind helping Winter with dinner? She offered to cook but I’d feel better if you were present. Just in case she needs something. And you can get the awkward silence taken care of while I’m in the shower.”

Winter set the bag on the kitchen counter, unloading various items while Ruby watched. She couldn’t identify half the items unpacked but they all looked edible.

“Do you have a stock pot?” Winter asked, collapsing the bag and tucking it off to the side. “I need some water boiling please.”

“Oh! Right, hold on.” She pulled the large pot from its spot under the center island. “How much do you need?”

“Eight cups, please.”

Ruby measured out the water and set it to boiling as Winter began washing some sort of root in the sink.

“What’s that?” asked the brunette, curious as to the shape. It was long and cylindrical, like a radish, but smoother and more uniform.

“Its lotus root.” Winter said, setting the vegetable to the side and picked up a package wrapped in brown paper. She unwrapped it to reveal several nice pork ribs which she began to cut down with a knife from the block. Once they were cut into individual bones, she dumped them into the pot of boiling water.

“While this boils, I want you to skim the foam off the top. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Ruby chirped. She had made bone stock before, with her dad and with Weiss. It was so much tastier than store bought bouillon. After a few minutes, Weiss returned from freshening up, still drying her hair with a towel. She went over to Ruby and nuzzled into her neck, allowing Ruby the chance to plant a kiss against one of Weiss’ wolf ears.

Weiss swatted her gently before glancing inside the pot and at the various items on the countertop. “Lotus soup?”

“With extra ribs. I also have some dumplings that I prepped earlier.” Winter skinned and chopped the lotus root before moving on to a small bit of ginger, a few carrots and a sprig of green onions. “Let me know when the broth is mostly clear, Ruby.”

Ruby skimmed some more foam off the top and looked in. “Not quite yet. I can’t see the ribs.”

Winter nodded and reached up to pull a skillet from the rack overhead. “When it is, pour everything in there into a dutch oven if you have one.” She skimmed the countertop and picked up a bottle of vegetable oil from a small rack. “This is a pretty well organized kitchen setup. I’m guessing Weiss had a hand in this?”

Weiss huffed as she sat down in a chair. “You’d be surprised. Ruby seems to be pretty picky about kitchen setups.”

Ruby rummaged in the cabinet for the Dutch oven. “If I know where everything is, I can make cookies faster with less mess.”

Winter poured the oil into the pan and set it on a burner. She tapped the pour spout on the glass bottle. “This, however, screams my little sister all over.”

“It makes it easier and more efficient,” Weiss said as she fingercombed her hair. “And it doesn’t get oil all over the counter like the previous method.”

Ruby rolled her eyes as she transferred the contents of the stock pot to the sturdy cast iron vessel. She set the stock pot next to the sink before placing the dutch oven on the burner across from the skillet. “I didn’t spill it that often.”

Winter smiled to herself before adding the vegetables to the broth. She also sprinkled something from a small bottle into the broth, before taking a small plastic container and opening it to reveal dumplings that immediately went into the skillet.

As they cooked, Winter tilted her head at Ruby. “What’s on your mind?”

Ruby shrugged. “You aren’t exactly like I pictured.” she admitted.

“In what way?”

“Well, for one, you are a lot more laid back then I gathered from Weiss’ descriptions.”

Winter let loose a rolling laugh. “Is that how I’m seen?”

Weiss’ ears tilted back. “I  _ may  _ have exaggerated a bit.”

Transferring the first batch of dumplings to a plate, Winter looked at Ruby with a smile.

“What else has she ‘exaggerated’?”

“I thought you’d be a Faunus, like Weiss.” Ruby said. “I know it runs in families.”

“But it doesn’t always show itself in bloodlines,” Winter said. “Weiss is pretty rare, having two traits in the first place, but she’s also the only Faunus in the last three generations. Father was convinced - “

“Please do not mention my sperm donor in my house,” Weiss growled.

“Convinced that Mother had an affair.” Winter finished undaunted. “Even ordered tests that only proved that she was his. But that’s neither here nor there.” She glanced back at her sister, seeing the ears tilted and bristled tail despite Weiss trying to look uninvolved. “It wasn’t easy for her.”

She deglazed the skillet before adding in soy sauce and a few spices. “So I’m guessing you were waiting for some domineering military commander, right?”

Ruby blushed a little. “Yeah. I was worried you wouldn’t find this an appropriate place for your sister.”

Winter frowned and turned to Weiss. “You never told her what I had planned?”

Weiss ducked down, her tail tucking down under the chair. “I forget sometimes we have our own little in-jokes.”

“Ruby, I don’t consider any house appropriate until a housewarming dinner takes place. Weiss did the same for me when I moved to Haven to take over the branch of the SDC there. It gets rid of the oppressive unfamiliarity of a new home and instills good memories.” She placed the plate of dumplings in the center of the table and turned around to finish mixing the sauce. “And it’s been a while since I’ve made food for more than just me, so I figured I’d come see the new place and meet you.”

Weiss picked up a dumpling and ate it in one bite. “And bring your personal touch on Vacuan cuisine. This is wonderful!”

“Leave some of them for us, Weiss,” Winter said as she poured the sauce into a dish handed to her by Ruby. “Don’t just wolf them down.”

Weiss threw a napkin at her sister for the jab, tail starting to wag slowly.

For the rest of the evening, Ruby learned a lot of things. She learned that properly cooked lotus root was like a slightly sweet potato and was delicious with pork broth and rib meat. She learned that Winter was as laid back as Weiss had been uptight at first, something that had to do with the harsher treatment Weiss had gotten growing up.

She also got plenty of new ammunition to tease her fiance with after seeing her clean bones of meat that had been cooked to the point of falling off anyway.

But overall, the two sisters got along in a way that reminded her of the way she played with Yang. Not the same, but not that different.

Weiss cleared the table as Ruby walked Winter to the door. After she pulled her coat on, she pulled Ruby in for a hug, something that surprised her.

“You take care,” she said. “And take care of my sister. She may be an insufferable know it all, but she has a good heart.”

“You know I can still hear you, right?” Weiss called from the kitchen.

Winter winked. “It’s why I said it. Love you Weissicle!”

“Love you too, nicknames notwithstanding.”

Winter waved again as she headed to her car. After locking up, she was met with a mug of hot chocolate.

“So, what did you think?” Weiss asked as they settled into the couch in the living room.

“I like her,” Ruby said, rubbing a hand along Weiss’ back. “And it’s nice to know that despite some of the horror stories you’ve told me, you had at least one friend growing up.”

Weiss shifted, bringing her tail around to lay in Ruby’s lap. She grinned, her teeth gleaming in the low light.

“So, you cleaned this whole townhouse just in an effort to impress my sister.”

“Yep.”

“Despite us having cleaned it not even three days ago.”

“Yep.”

She leaned in close to Ruby, the rose scent filling her nose.

“So you know what that means?”

“Hmm?” Ruby murmured, turning her head to rub noses with Weiss.

“It means you get to relax for a bit while I take care of the dishes right quick. Then we can cuddle in front of a movie before bed. We’ve both got busy days tomorrow. Sound good?”

Ruby leaned in and kissed one of the flicking ears, enjoying the tiny little groan it produces.

“Sounds good to me, Weiss. Sounds good to me.”


	78. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Family  
> Writer: Winter1112  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter1112  
> Summary: A short fic involving Ruby and Weiss, otherwise known as the Scarlet Spider and Spider Woman!  
> A/N: I may flesh this one out. Depends on the response it gets.

No one ever looks up. Especially not in New York City. Even the tourists barely look up anymore, too worried about getting to their next destination for their tours and shows.

"You're not my Ruby! I failed my Ruby and I will never forgive myself!"

She's sitting on the side of the Chrysler building, lost in her thoughts. Lost in how much her life has changed in just two days.

"You're… How… You look like me… Oh God you look just like me…"

She wasn't an orphan for twenty minutes, and watched her mother die to that bastard Ozpin. She already really likes Weiss, and wanted to wipe her tears away. She wants to know why she never knew she had a family.

"All it takes is a leap of faith, Ruby…"

Gathering herself, she narrows her eyes as her legs coil themselves, the silver eyes hidden behind white disks focusing on the ground far below.

She watches as her Grandmother smiles sadly while she puts on the webshooters. "A perfect fit." She declares as she takes her hands in her own. "A third generation of Rose women embracing their destiny. Your mother would be so proud. As proud as I am."

She looks on with pride, even as she spray paints one of her mother's spare costumes to suit her, even respraying the symbol first her Grandmother, then her Mother, and now her herself represent.

"A leap of faith…" She whispers before she leaps, her eyes closed for a moment as she listens to the wind whistle around her. She can hear her blood singing in her veins, her once street hardened muscles now stronger, more durable. 

She feels her newfound spider sense begin to tingle, and she reacts instantly. Looking back, she shoots a pair of web lines back up, watching them as they zip back up rapidly until they finally attach themselves to the top of the building. Following her instincts, she flips her body while pulling hard with her arms, completing her swing as she screams in delight.

"YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She cheers as her arms move on instinct, shooting out a web line while she runs through the streets between cars and their surprised occupants.

"Spider Woman?!"

"But she's dead!" 

She finally starts another swing, leaping clear of a bus before rolling across the top of a transfer truck. She sees the flashes of cameras on cell phones. She hears the scattered cheers as she passes by. Cheers growing by the minute as she leaps high, following a webline that is arcing upwards. 

"It's a new Spider Woman!"

"Go Spider Woman go!"

She leaps from building to building, her heart beating in time with her joy as she runs across a glass window next, the people in the office staring in surprise. Throwing out another webline, she pulls herself onto a rooftop and runs at top speed, exultant at the pace she's taking before leaping across and landing, skipping a bit before she finally comes to a stop on the top of a gargoyle overlooking the Hudson River, the Ozpin Building in the distance.

Pulling her mask up, she takes several deep breaths as she begins to grin. "That… was awesome!"

"Pretty impressive Spider Woman." A voice calls out, an green and black armored figure coming to a hover beside her. "I could barely keep up with you from the air."

Shaking her head, her grin widens. "Not Spider Woman. That was my mother."

"Oh?" Penny Polendina asks as her helmet opens to reveal her face. "Do tell?"

"It's Scarlet Spider." She replies as she pulls her mask back down. "Come on, I need to go help Rouvin, Weiss, and all the other Spiders."

"I shall come and assist then, Scarlet." The Iron Maiden replies as her helmet closes. "It is the least I can do to both honor your mother's sacrifice as well as bring her killer to justice."

"Thanks, Miss Polendina." 

"It's Penny, Ruby. Now come, we have much to do." She declares as she launches forward, Ruby leaping from the gargoyle and following behind closely, the two third generation heroes determined to insure that Brooklyn as well as all of New York wouldn't be sucked into a black hole.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Weiss grimaces as she hides behind a barrel, her body once again glitching at an absolutely horrid time. She can hear Rouvin running his mouth, quips and borderline insults flying as he squares off against Dr. Octopus, who is showing him no quarter. 

She has to find a way to get to him without getting shot or stopped by one of Ciel's many allies.

But she blinks as one of her biomechanical arms suddenly punches her in the face, before several more hit her. And her eyes narrow in sympathy as one hits her in a very sensitive area, doubling her over for a moment. "Who dares?!" She screams as she looks around, right before a pair of web lines appear out of nowhere. To her further surprise, a new Spider Woman suddenly appears, punching her in the face and knocking her away.

"Ruby?!" Rouvin declares in surprise, getting a wink in reply.

"Que pasa?" 

"Oh my gosh! You really did it! I'm so proud of you!" He gushes as Weiss swings up and joins them. "Is this what being a parent feels like?"

"Ruby?" Weiss whispers, her smile growing behind her own mask. "You did it, Lieben! You really did it!"

"Hey!" Spider Woman Noir screams as she zips past. "Save all the happy joy crap for later!"

"Yeah!" Little Summer cries out as she goes flying past next, Scorpion hot on her's and Crescent Rose's tail. "Someone get him offa me!"

"I am coming!" Penny yells as she flies past in pursuit.

The battle continues…

* * *

"Weiss…" The two of them look at each other shyly, the particle accelerator beginning to make odd noises.

"I'm sorry I called you Lieben." The white haired Spider Woman looks away. "I lost myself for a moment."

"I… I'm gonna miss you, Weiss." Ruby suddenly declares sadly. "I wanted to get to know you so much better."

"Says who?" Penny asks as she hovers nearby, while holding out an odd looking bracelet to the Spider Woman. "Fortunately, Ceil's technology is easily figured out."

"Stay with me then, Weiss!" Ruby declares as she grabs one of her white clad hands. "Please?" 

"But… We barely know each other!" 

"Weiss." Rouvin looks at her sadly. "Don't become me, ok? I lost the love of my life, and my life stopped. And it never ever restarted. You have a genuine chance to be happy again, maybe even start a family and everything, while I will always have regrets."

Weiss looks at Rouvin in surprise. "You aren't bitter over the many years you have been a hero…"

"I'm bitter because my life stopped having any real meaning without Winter." He replies as he looks at her. "You… look so damned much like her, and it's killing me." He sighs as he takes the bracelet and puts it on her arm. "Don't be me. You have a second chance, one I'll never have." He adds before grabbing Ruby and Weiss's heads and suddenly knocking them together, Penny catching them.

"Why did you do that?!" The Iron Maiden demands as she holds them both. But she gasps as she sees the dead look in the hero's eyes.

"Get them out of here. When this thing goes, it's going to take everyone here with it." He informs her. 

"So, you noticed as well?" The Iron Maiden shakes her head. 

"It's too late for the building, but not for them." He replies as he smiles at her. "Winter's waiting for me, Penny. I'm tired of making her wait."

"Godspeed, Rouvin Rose." Penny pushes her thrusters to their limits to escape the imploding building, the pair of spiders secure in her arms. She knows the two of them may never forgive him, but hopefully time will heal all wounds.

Rouvin Rose smiles as he pushes the green button, then closing his eyes. He doesn't struggle as he gets pulled into the mammoth machine, even as he hears a voice he has long missed. "Rouvin, come home…"

"I'm coming Win. You proud of me?"

"Of course…"

* * *

Ruby and Weiss smile at each other as they stand on either side of a young teenaged boy, who is staring at the ground below them. Behind them is an older girl wearing a more traditional Spider Woman suit that is reminiscent of her Grandmother's, while a second, younger girl grins as she plays with some webbing between her fingers.

The scene itself would be amusing, if it wasn't for the fact that they are all standing on the side of the building, and not on top of it.

"Rouvin, are you sure about this?" Ruby asks, Weiss holding her arm.

"It's just a leap of faith, Mom." He replies with a smile, before pulling his mask down. "Can't call myself your son if I can't take a short leap, can I?"

Weiss giggles. "Just as brave as him. Just watch out for trains. Luna loves running into them."

"Hey! That was one time! One!" She shrieks. 

"Hey, let's make it interesting." The teenaged boy smirks right before a glob of webbing hits his sister in the mouth. "Catch me if you can!" He yells before launching himself, his sister in hot pursuit as a symbiote forms around her.

"Finally! Someone made her shut up!" It grumbles even as they follow.

"Any regrets, Weiss?" Ruby asks.

"Only that our happiness, that our family, is thanks to one man's sacrifice." She replies as they watch Summer leap after them.

"I hope he's at peace, Weiss." Ruby declares as she looks at the love of her life. 

"As do I. Now, let's catch up to them, before half of New York is covered in webbing." Weiss declares as she pulls her mask down over her head. 

"Si, mi amor!" Ruby laughs as the two of them leap hand in hand. Twenty two years ago, she took a leap of faith. One she has never once regretted. It has brought her a past, a present, and a glorious future with a family of her own...


	79. Gift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Gift  
> Writer: MissAnthrophy  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissAnthrophy  
> Summary: In late medieval France, inventor Ruby Rose has created the first ever flying machine! Something she dubs a Hot Air Balloon. It is her goal to take it to show the king of France and use it as a gift to ask for the hand of the king's second daughter, princess Weiss Schnee

Ruby was in her workshop, hunched down as she was scribbling down her latest work. She like to think that this place was her hideout. All of her Tools were placed on one corner, each organized by type and category. The opposite of that was where countless other blueprints are plastered on the wall. Below those are two large blackboards with different drawings of machines and such.

In the middle was a long work table, all of her other little projects littered the space. A random bolt here, a random piece of metal there, and another bunch of tools and equipment thrown in on the mess.

After wiping the sweat from her brow, Ruby lifted the piece of paper she was sketching on for the past six hours. Using the candlelight to illuminate the blueprint she had just drawn.

The blueprint depicted a basket suspended by a globe-shaped parachute of sorts made from sackcloth.

But this wasn't just some basket with a parachute attached to it. What Ruby did was genius of her. She can make the thing fly! By heating the air with open flames inside the parachute. Although, she had yet to test the actual concept with people.

She was sure she could pull it off,  _ hoped _ she pulled it off. 

Her very first test was with a simple 1×1×1.3m box made out of very thin wood, and covered the sides and top with lightweight cloth. She crumpled and lit some paper under the bottom of the box. The thing quickly lifted off its stand and collided with the ceiling.

Ruby was excited at her invention. After years of hard work and dedication. She could finally make something remarkable.

After she was done doing some final calculations. She placed the blueprints next to the stack of letters. She picked up the latest one from the pile and held it up. It was light blue and written on the front were the words "my beloved Rosebud".

She opened it with a letter opener, she was greeted with the most beautiful handwriting she had ever seen. Well, that could be said with all of the letters she had received.

_ Dear Ruby, _

_ Did you receive my last letter? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't. You can act like a dolt sometimes. Have you eaten already? You do know that non-stop work is bad for right? Rest from time to time isn't a bad idea. _

_ If you're asking how my day is. It was another mundane affair. My father took me with him to his palace parties. He made me sing in front of his guests again. I hated how he paraded me like I'm his prize trophy or something. You know that this wasn't the first time but I'm just so sick and tired of it. _

_ Sorry if I'm venting while writing this. It's just... Life has been hard recently. And the only thing I look forward to is writing this letter to you. Imagining your cute dopey face when reading this. I can run away from here and go to you if It is that simple. Just know that every moment I miss you so much. _

_ I know you're thinking of ways to get me out of here. Just don't do something dumb that will get you killed okay? _

_ Because I want to finally say I love you in person. Stay safe you hear me? _

_ With love, Weiss Schnee _

Ruby sat there rereading the letter again and again. Even though they exchange letters every month. Ruby still cherished every single letter she had. She keeps on repeating the words Weiss said in the letter.

_ I love you _

This got Ruby super motivated to finish her invention now. All she had to do was add the final measurements and it was good as done.

She wasn't doing this all for herself, but all of this was for Weiss. No way would the king surrender one of his children. But by giving the king something a gift, a gift never before been seen. Like for example, a way for someone to fly? She asked Weiss about this plan last month, and she approved of it.

The final part of this plan was that after she'd given the king the flying device. Ruby would then ask the king for... For the hand of the king's second daughter, Weiss

She couldn't believe it herself. All she had to do was give that sorry excuse of a king a gift and then they would be together finally. Ruby wasn't sure if they could succeed in this. She was relying on if the king was greedy enough to make the deal. But Weiss reassured Ruby that her father was a greedy man that thought nothing but money.

All she got to do was trust Weiss. And trust her she did.

Ruby hadn't noticed that she was working for the past nine hours. She could tell by the number of candles she'd used. All nine of the candles are reduced to nothing but puddles of wax.

"Oops, Sorry Weiss! I'll try to sleep now." She said to the letter. The first thing she did was to compile all the work that she did and place all of them in a locker.

With one final yawn, she went back to where she was originally sitting. She then rested her head on the table, Finally closing her eyes.

* * *

Naturally, she woke up very sore and very hungry. She knew it was a bad idea to sleep here than in her bed. That was what she get for being too lazy to climb a bunch of stairs and sleeping in her bed.

As she was shaking off her last bit of drowsiness. Looking outside through her window, she noticed that it was already high noon.

Ruby stood up and slowly went to the bathroom to wash herself. After she was done she cooked herself a modest breakfast, or lunch depending on who she ask.

She then remembered that there was something she was suppose to do. After doing some morning stretches, Retrieving all of her notes from last night, putting them in her bag, and ran outside.

When Ruby reached the palace gate, She saw two identical men in armor guarding the entrance. She was getting near the entrance, but she was blocked on the way by the two guards.

"Halt!" Said the guard on the right. He hefted his spear towards Ruby.

"Woah there! Are you... Threatening me?" Ruby raised one eyebrow to the right guard holding the spear.

"Yes, yes I am" the guard confirmed.

"Oh, yeah you have a point there. Uhh... No pun intended. Just asking." Ruby retreated an inch from where she was standing earlier, using her finger to move the spear away from her face.

"leave now, little girl. The palace is forbidden to those not invited by the king." The left guard said.

"Wait!" Ruby exclaimed.

A few moments later, she could hear the sound of an oncoming carriage. When Ruby turned around she saw a line of carriages, each wealthy-looking, and was being dragged by white horses.

The guards opened the gate and the first half of the carriages entered the gate. The middle carriage halted before it could enter. The door of the middle carriage opened. Revealing the king himself, Jacque Schnee. He stepped out of his carriage and stood in front of Ruby.

There was another familiar white-haired girl coming out as well. The person in question was a lot shorter, About a little taller than Ruby with high heels. Instead of disgust like her father, the look she was giving to Ruby was affectionate. It took all of Ruby's focus not be a blushing mess in front of the king.

"Why is there a girl in front of my castle? Don't tell me she's another beggar? Look at how dirty she is." Said the king with a disgusted look on his face.

Ruby had to resist the urge to punch the king in his crown jewels. She didn't even look that dirty. She already had a bath and change of clothes this morning, or noon depending on who she ask.

She was doing this all for Weiss, she reminded herself. She couldn't mess this up. One wrong move and potentially they would never see each other ever again.

"No your highness." Ruby kneeled down. "I'm uhh... Ruby Rose, I own a workshop and I invent stuff. I inherited that from dad, the workshop I mean. Did an apprenticeship in blacksmithing and I always dream of making amazing things. Sooo... I would like to give you something your majesty." Ruby finished her babbling and presented to the king the notes she was carrying in her bag.

The king took the blueprints from her hands and started to read it. "what is this then?" Referring to her drawing.

"Oh. That's where you stand king sir. Above that is an inflatable parachute, all it needs is open flames to-" Ruby was cut off from explaining when the king raised his hands.

"Did you test this to see if it works? Can this make a person fly?"

"Err... not yet your highness. So far I only tested the concept of-"

"Then this is useless! You're not the first inventor to give me these ridiculous claims like flying. Leave before I put you in my dungeon like the rest of the liars!" The king shouted. Throwing all of her blueprints away.

She watched in horror as the man stomped every paper on the ground with his shoes. All that effort she did on making those, Basically amounts to dirt to him.

"And it doesn't even look like a flying device. It looks like a basket with a huge egg on top. It doesn't even have wings!"

Ruby started to pick up every paper from the ground. She tried her hardest not cry in front of Weiss. But she couldn't stop a tear or two from running down her face. She never felt so useless in her life. This was suppose to be the chance where Weiss and her could finally be together. Now she was a failure in keeping that promise.

Ruby then felt something wiping her tears. She looked up at the person who was doing that, and saw Weiss kneeling next to her. Wiping Ruby's face with a handkerchief.

"There there... _ Ruby _ " Weiss whispering her name. "I'm so sorry." She had a look of concern in her. This caused Ruby to tear up even more. She took the handkerchief and wiped her face with it. After she was done, she continued on picking up her notes. Next to her was Weiss Helping her.

After a few seconds Weiss finished picking up half of the notes on the ground. She then stood up and face her father. "That's no way to treat people, father. You hadn't even let her explain what she did." Her tone was almost like knives stabbing her father. But he paid it no attention.

"And you young lady need to learn that compassion is nothing but weakness. And a Schnee doesn't have any weaknesses."

She ignored her father, turning around to face Ruby. "Just wait until I'm no longer that...but instead a Rose" Weiss whispered quietly that only Ruby could hear. Handing over the notes as if putting all of her trust to Ruby.

Ruby saw Weiss walking back towards the carriage. Not saying a word to her father, The king followed soon after.

Ruby didn't need to be told twice that she needed to leave. With one final look at the palace, she retreated back towards town.

As she was walking back to the workshop, she noticed that she still held on to Weiss's handkerchief. She held it up as if it was made of pure gold. She tied the handkerchief on to her wrist. As a reminder of what she was fighting for.

When she got back, Ruby cleared out all of the junk on the table. And then she spread out all of her notes she salvaged from earlier to see if she could still decipher some of it.

She could still see the drawings, but the finer details and calculations were all unreadable. She had no choice but to redo some of it. And this time, she would make it so that it could accommodate a person.

Grabbing one of the ink trays, she dipped her pen on it and started writing.

* * *

Weiss was sulking in her bed, Ruby still hadn't wrote a message since the incident. And it was a month ago. She was getting extremely worried.

She tried sending more letters but still no reply. Could it be that she couldn't? Maybe she might be busy finishing her project.Was her father blocking their communication? Maybe he found out that they're exchanging letters and put a stop to it.

What if her father did something to Ruby? He was still angry after she helped Ruby, could that be it? She was scared that her father might send assassins or hitmen to Ruby's house. He was a petty man and didn't hesitate to resort to such evil.

Or what if... it wasn't because of her father's doing, but Ruby's? What if Ruby decided that she had enough of this relationship and didn't want to see her now? Ruby probably thought that Weiss wasn't worth the trouble and cut Weiss out of her life.

Just thinking about it felt like a punch in the gut. Like a hole drilling in her chest. She didn't want to believe that Ruby had given up on her. All she could do was put all of her trust in Ruby.

Ugh... All of this stressful speculation was driving her crazy. Weiss climbed out of her bed and walked towards her window. She could see the whole place from way up here. Even the gate area where she last saw Ruby.

Weiss gazed towards the sky. It was late afternoon, and it was cloudy the whole day, making today extra dull.

She then noticed that there was a parting of clouds. Sunlight streamed down from the sky. Then from above she saw...  _ Something _ coming down from the sky where the clouds parted.

Weiss stood up and pressed her face in the window. Her reaction was that of surprise and bewilderment. The thing was globe shaped with a hanging basket at the bottom.

She wasn't sure what she was seeing. But at the same time it was somewhat familiar to her. As if she already saw it from somewhere... but that was impossible because she would surely remember if she saw something flying up in the air...

She could also see something waving from the basket. It was almost like a person was in there.

Weiss suddenly remembered that she had a telescope somewhere in her room. She went to her closet where her stuff was. After grabbing her telescope, she dragged it to her window. Looking at the eyepiece, her vision was enhanced to the point she could see far away objects. Like a waving person in a flying device.

Wait. A Flying device, globe-shaped basket. A very familiar silver-eyed brunette... It was none other than Ruby.

Ruby! She really did come back for her, in a functional flying device no less. She could see that Ruby was descending slowly down towards their royal garden.

Weiss didn't know why. But she suddenly had a feeling that she was leaving this place for good. She started packing her clothes and other memorabilia. She grabbed her personal rapier, Myrtenaster, and hurried outside.

It took her thirty minutes to finish packing. At that time the other people in this palace noticed Ruby descending as well. All from gardeners, bakers/cooks, to soldiers and other officials.

They formed a semi-circle as they waited for that thing to descend. Weiss had to elbow her way to get to the front. When she arrived in the front, she saw her father standing there looking irritated. With him stood armored soldiers about ten of them.

Soon after the flying device landed in front of them. She could see Ruby peeking from her basket, looking at her surroundings. When Ruby's eyes met hers, all of Weiss's self doubt disappeared, replaced with the feeling of delight and bliss.

Ruby slowly exited her hiding place and stood in front of the king. "Why your majesty." Ruby bowed.

Grabbing something from her bag, she presented to the king a book. "I offer this" waving the book in her hands. "This book holds the blueprints in making more of these. I'm calling them air balloons by the way." Ruby said with a wink. Surprising both Weiss and the king. Weiss didn't thought that Ruby could be this confident. "Imagine how much money you could make selling these. How you can use them in transportation and such."

The king was about to grab the book when suddenly Ruby walked back an inch. "I did say that this was a gift to you, my king. But then I remember that  _ somebody _ made it difficult to make this, since the original plans were ruined by someone. I do want a compensation for that." Ruby offered.

The king understood what she was talking about. "What do you want? Money? Say your price"

"Nope, the thing I want is..." Ruby stealing a glance towards Weiss. "Permission to marry a Schnee!" Blushing as Ruby said the final part. Hearing this, Weiss couldn't resist being a little red herself.

"Oh. You want to marry prince Whitley? Well, I know you just want to enter this family but-" she was cut off by Ruby.

"Eww no. I'm not referring to him" Ruby said. She turned towards Weiss. And with one hand, she grabbed Weiss's wrist and pulled her in. Now they were side by side.

It quickly dawned to Jacque on what was happening. "You want to marry the princess? But aren't you a girl as well?"

"Yes, yes I am. Is there a problem with that?" Ruby raising an eyebrow to the question.

"And of course I accept your proposal Ruby." Weiss stood defiantly right next to Ruby. "And I'm leaving with her."

The king finally noticed the bags Weiss was holding. His face not displaying any emotions of happiness or anger, Just annoyance.

"Do we have a deal your majesty?" Ruby asked again. Handing over the book.

The king took it and flipped through the pages. Something caught the interest of the king. He then gave Ruby a nod.

"You can have her. I was about have her just marry a random lord anyway. But otherwise I don't care who she ends up with." And with that, he turned around and walked away.

Without warning Ruby dragged Weiss away towards the air balloon. Ruby helped her in putting all of her stuff inside. When they're done with packing, they went inside the basket.

Ruby stood up and did something to the flames. In a few seconds they slowly rise from the ground. The other spectators gawked at the thing flying away. They continue to rise until they reached the clouds. The people below couldn't even see them now.

* * *

They sat in silence while the wind blew hard on their air balloon. Weiss couldn't process what had just happened earlier. It just happened so fast. One time she was mopping, now she was literally in the sky being the happiest person in the world.

"So... Hello again Weiss" Ruby breaking the silence, doing an awkward wave.

Naturally, Weiss did the most normal thing possible. She tackled Ruby into a hug. The air balloon jolted down suddenly before coming back up. But Weiss didn't care of that and instead focus on hugging Ruby.

"I knew that you'll come back" Weiss said, Buried deep down on Ruby's shoulder.

"Aww Weiss. Glad you think of that."

"But..." Weiss retreated a little, she then started to lightly punch Ruby multiple times in the arms.

"Why did you not message me as soon as possible? Did you know how worried I was you... dolt!"

After she was done bombarding Ruby with punches, they went back to hugging each other. All that time, Ruby hadn't stopped smiling.

"Hey Weiss."

"Mhmm?"

"Can you say 'i love you'"

"Why do you want me to do that? I already said that multiple times."

"Yeah, but those were from the letters. I want to hear it out loud." Ruby said, giving Weiss the most beautiful smile she had ever received. Her silver eyes twinkle like the stars above.

"I love you" Weiss said as she closed the distance between them. What they did could only be seen as a tiny speck in the sky.


	80. Concussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Concussion  
> Writer: xx-whiterose  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxwhiterose  
> Summary: Officer Weiss and Ruby are investigating the assorted robberies and murders across Vale. They’ve tracked down one of the assistants, Mercury Black, to a dirty, destroyed council house in the Vale suburbs.   
> A/N: fantasy/urban AU kinda stuff- hope you all like it~

“Case 0012. Suspect: Mercury Black. Used to be a kickboxer. Wanted for the murder of his father, and assosiated theft related to Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall,” Weiss said, flipping through a tan case file on her lap. Ruby hummed in response beside her, cruising to a stop outside a rundown old council building that looked as if it had been long given up on. Dirty brick combined with smashed and boarded windows, overgrown weeds and a supply of dirty needles scattered around the cracked concrete. Weiss closed the file and reached for the handgun magazine that sat prepped with special paralysing bullets on the dashboard, removing her glock 22 from her hip and sliding it into the chamber. “Considered armed and dangerous.”

“What’s he doing hiding out in a dump like this?” Ruby asked, unclipping herself from her seat and unlocking the door. Weiss did the same, pushing open the heavy doors of the police car and stepping out into the urban city. Vale slums were really something to behold, crawling with rats the size of Weiss’ rapier and with twice the biting power. There were needles everywhere.  _ Used  _ needles.

“Watch your step. There’s needles everywhere, and I really rather not have to bring you to an ER to get a tetanus shot,” Weiss grumbled, fastening her rapier, Myrtenaster, to her belt loop whilst moving to join her partner. The taller, brunette girl kicked one of such needles away from her foot haphazardly, watching as the dirty, rusted needle rolled away into the grass.

“Gotcha,” Ruby said, before a light illuminated behind her silver eyes, “Hey, are we still on for that movie tonight?”

Weiss scoffed, a warm smile settling on her face at the sight of her partner’s excitement, “If we’re not dead, then yes.” Weiss had to admit, she was looking forward to just relaxing with Ruby as a friend. She’d been spending the last few nights staying up and trying to find ties to the Torchwick robberies, but she’d come up mostly empty-handed so far. It’d been a week and she’d only managed to link a few dust shipments that disappeared to what she believed to be his militia, the White Fang. She had no idea why, or how they were getting it, and it was starting to get beneath her skin like an unwelcome itch. It’d taken some convincing from Ruby to get her to take tonight off, but alas, here she was, face to face with her giddy police partner mere hours away from their date.

Was it a date? As in, a romantic date? Weiss was secretly hoping it was, or that maybe, it could lead to potential future romantic dates. Her lack of progress on her case wasn’t the only thing festering her mind. Her partner had grown on her, coiling her roots around Weiss’ cold heart and cracking the ice cage she’d formed around it. Ruby made her feel comfortable when she was around, like the heavy responsibility and forthcoming doom of resuming her family business was nothing but a quilt made of feathers. Ruby had a way of wringing Weiss’ worries out of her until Weiss wasn’t tormented by them anymore. How? Weiss didn’t know, but whatever magic Ruby was using on her felt so warm and safe, and she loved it. Maybe it wasn’t love, because after all, who was Weiss Schnee to know anything about love of all things. She’d been distant and cold to everybody her entire life. Maybe it was just her imagination. Weiss didn’t know, but she wanted to find out.

“Well let's not get ourselves killed then!” Ruby laughed, pulling her gun and torch from their holsters and crossing them over each other as she approached the door.

“I wouldn’t be the one dying,” she teased, ignoring the shocked noise that slipped past Ruby’s lips as Weiss knocked on the rotten wood door in front of them, “Police, open the door!”

There was a dull rustle inside, followed by a heavy thump and the sound of running footsteps going the opposite direction to them. The two women crossed knowing glances for a moment, before Weiss lifted her hand up and pressed it to the door. A black glyph appeared beneath it, followed quickly by a loud slam as it was blown off its hinges and against a stairwell inside.

“Freeze or I will open fire!” Ruby called inside, meeting eyes with a grey haired man at the other end of the hall. His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits at the sight of the two cops, plucking something from his belt and throwing them directly in Ruby’s direction. Weiss threw up another glyph, stopping two sharp throwing knives mid-air as they crossed the magic threshold. Mercury, or at least, who Ruby assumed was Mercury, grumbled and turned to run into the kitchen. Ruby liften her gun and aimed, firing two warning shots towards the man’s legs, only for the rounds to bounce off like marbles.

“What?” Ruby heard Weiss mutter as Mercury reached the door, swinging the rickety old thing open with a harsh tug and racing out of it. Ruby holstered her weapon and moved into a run, knowing that she was much faster then Weiss thanks to her magic.

“I’ll get him!” Ruby called back to Weiss as she rocketed through the unhinged kitchen backdoor and after the man. He’d already hopped a fence into a nearby garden when Ruby got outside, only pausing briefly to try and locate the fugitive. She too vaulted over the first fence, drawing her weapon again as she did so. She swapped out the useless paralysing dust for live ammunition, aiming her gun towards Mercury as she got within a few feet of him.

“Stop!” She ordered, firing an intentional missed shot just past Mercury’s ear. The man stumbled to the side, clutching the side of his head. He spun around to face Ruby, grey eyes full of poisonous hate meeting her silver. “Don’t move, or I will shoot. You’re under arrest fo-”

Ruby didn’t get to finish her statement before a foot met the side of her hand, sending explosive pain shooting up her arm. She yelped, dropping the gun and reaching to clutch her hand to her chest when she saw his second leg coming to her left. Ruby lifted her arm to block her head, the sheer force of the man’s kick sending hot agony rippling through her body. Jee, this man could kick.

Ruby watched as Mercury kicked away her gun, before going for another kick to her undefended side. Ruby spun around, catching Mercury’s leg on her shoulder and using her upper body strength to heave him over it. Instead of falling like Ruby had expected he would, he caught himself on his hands, using the momentum gifted to him in returning a spinning kick attack that caught Ruby’s head with a powerful thump. Black splotches exploded across her vision and her world tilted, causing her to stumble and fall onto her front. Hot bursts of agony swept across her mind, each new wave bringing a new tint of darkness to her vision. She could hear Mercury’s footsteps around her, like he was circling her like a shark on its prey.

“Ruby!” Weiss’ voice screamed, followed by two loud shots that rang through the air and only helped intensify the hurt in Ruby’s skull. She gasped, pulling her arms beneath her as she tried to push herself back to her feet. Mercury growled somewhere around her, before taking off in a different direction. Ruby heard Weiss fire a few more times, before painfully waving her down to stop.

“Are you okay?” Weiss asked, closer this time. Hands reached around Ruby’s torso, helping her sit back onto her butt as she recollected herself and her surroundings. She wobbled slightly for a moment, prompting Weiss to keep her hands on her partner to stabilize her. The brunette laughed slightly.

“I think I might’ve just had my last few brain cells knocked out,” she joked, holding her dizzy head. Weiss rolled her eyes with a huff, helping Ruby back onto her feet. The younger officer wobbled for another moment, before a heavy bout of sickness hit her like a truck. She pushed Weiss away quickly, before leaning over and heaving what  _ was  _ her lunch. Weiss’ nose scrunched at the smell, keeping her hand on her injured partner as she got over herself.

“You’re suffering from a concussion,” Weiss quickly pointed out, looking around for somewhere Ruby could sit down. She saw an old wooden picnic bench that looked sturdy enough not too far away. “Come on, let’s sit you down before you fall over again.”

“I’m suffering from a percussion? Like, a drum?” Ruby repeated. Weiss exhaled sharply.

“No, you dolt! A  _ concussion _ ,” Weiss repeated, sitting Ruby down on the wood after checking there were no dirty needles around, “Where did he hit you?”

“Back there,” Ruby placed her hand over the impact sight, only for Weiss to shoo it away as she inspected it herself, “I guess you were right about me dying first, though.”

“Shut up, you’ll be fine,” Weiss snapped, brushing her hand off the back of Ruby’s head, “Shit, you’re bleeding.”

“Great,” Ruby deadpanned, “Much?”

“No, not too much,” Weiss reached back into her trouser pockets, pulling out a pale blue cloth and unfolding it. She pressed it to the back of Ruby’s head gently, “It’s just a cut, but I think you’ll be okay. Nothing your magic won’t heal overnight.”

“That’s a relief. I didn’t want to cancel our movie night or anything,” Ruby sighed, massaging her eyes with her finger and thumb. Weiss hummed.

“I want to keep an eye on you anyway. You shouldn’t sleep with a concussion,” Weiss said softly, changing the position of the handkerchief to a less bloody half. “You shouldn’t be so reckless. You haven’t unlocked all your magic yet.”

“I know. I just didn’t expect him to hit so hard,” Ruby moaned, “Like, seriously, the guy has legs of steel.”

“He might,” Weiss commented, “He was an amputee. He could’ve had metal leg braces installed.”

“And you tell me this  _ now _ ?”

“Well I wasn’t expecting you to just run off!” Weiss huffed, pulling her cloth away once she was happy the blood flow had calmed. “Let’s call it in. You need to go home and rest.”

Ruby watched from the bench as Weiss strode in front of her, unclipping her radio and calling some commands into it, “What about you?”

Weiss slipped her a weak smile, followed by a sterner look, “I’m coming with you, to make sure you actually rest and don’t play those video games of yours again.”

“It’s a date.”

_ Huh _ , so it was a date.


	81. Soulbound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Soulbound  
> Title: Two Souls Shining in the Darkness  
> Writer: Winter1112  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter1112  
> Summary: Ruby sacrificed her freedom to give Weiss her's back. Weiss sacrificed her humanity to see Ruby freed in return. Now Ruby must figure out how to bring her Songbird back from the darkness  
> A/N: Hey Everyone! Wyn here with a big spoiler warning for The Red Reaper and the White Princess, as well as RWBYFall! Read if you dare! Otherwise, enjoy!

_ I don't know how it is you are so familiar to me- or why it feels less like I am getting to know you and more I am remembering who you are. How every smile, every whisper brings me closer to the impossible conclusion that I have known you before, I have loved you before- in another time, a different place- some other existence. _

_ -Lang Lev- _

Dawn finds Ruby Rose deep in prayer at the temple of the Goddess of Light. Her beloved mate has lost herself to the darkness, and she is desperate for answers. Yet, for all the darkness that surrounds her own thoughts and prayers, there is still much to celebrate as well. Yang is recovering well, and her rehabilitation with her new arm is proceeding as well as she hoped. They all came together to celebrate the birth of little Topaz, yet it was marred by two important pieces of all their lives missing.

Weiss and Summer are still missing, and her life is still incomplete.

She comes to pray daily for the absolution of her many sins. She fought to free her people, and firmly believes that Weiss's fall is her own fault. Her punishment meted out by the Goddesses Three for the blood she spilled alongside the Black Snow as they struggled to free their people and find Weiss. But while the Assassin has no regrets, she has far too many, and is finding the cost of her numerous victories too much to bear.

And like always, she leaves in tears, no answers coming to her. The rabbit faunus warrior firmly believes the True Light has abandoned her, and there will be no forgiveness for her many sins. There will be no absolution for her soul.

_ Come to the place where your life truly began… _

She stares at the text message she receives daily, yet chooses to ignore. She no longer believes herself worthy of looking upon the monument to her lost love she built with her own two hands, during peaceful moments between blood soaked missions for the Khan. She has forsaken the Eternal Light's teachings to free her people, to free her songbird from her gilded cage, and she knows her soul is bound for eternal damnation at her sister's hands. She will not tarnish that last symbol of her love, despite her desire to look upon her soulmate once more.

She still remembers when the Priestess told them that they are Soulbound lovers, destined to seek one another out for all time. She had been well into her pregnancy by then, and she and Weiss sought to make themselves a permanent union. To hear that the Goddesses Three already consider them as such, bonded in a union of souls they could never hope to destroy gave them heart and courage. It inspired their already wonderful and perfect bond to even greater heights, thus inspiring so many others.

_ Come to the place where your life truly began… _

Her desperation is finally outweighing her regrets, her sadness, her self loathing as she walks with measured steps towards the airship docks, and the White Rose forever immortalized on the ground in the same place where she met her other half. But she is surprised to see a smiling Glynda Goodwitch standing in wait, Professor Peach as well as a woman with pale skin and Raven black hair awaiting her. 

"Greetings, Ruby." The combat instructor calls out as she smiles fondly at her. "Have you finally found the courage to reclaim your mate?"

"What do you know of this?" She asks bitterly. "You have your great love, your forever. You and Dr. Oobleck were our own inspiration. We sought a love every bit as wonderful as your own."

"A love such as theirs does not come easily, Ruby." Peach reminds her, the falcon faunus woman smiling at her.

"Indeed." The third woman agrees as she looks at the Reaper with scleral eyes. "Yet it pales in comparison to the love you and your Princess of the Hinterlands share."

"Your's is the true love story, Red Reaper of Vale." The blonde woman declares. "The true love we all seek for ourselves, for it is naught but perfection."

"It is a selfless love the likes of which even we, the Triumvirate, envy." Peach admits quietly. "A selfless, pure love which expects nothing save an equal love to be reciprocated in kind."

"A love granted by our own honored parents, as a reward for a great wrong forced upon you and your Princess, Reaper." The third woman admits. "A wrong mine own sister and I forced upon you both, in order to set Remnant back to right."

"A wrong… We have once again committed." Goodwitch looks at the ground in shame. 

"Ruby, there is so much we must tell you. All of life, of creation itself is in grave danger." Peach informs the rabbit faunus.

"Because of our selfish actions, our never ending squabbling, we may have doomed all of Remnant to an evil even greater than mine own." The third woman admits.

"You are now our only hope, Ruby. Weiss walks further and further into the darkness with every passing day. Yet the power of darkness my sister has granted her will not be enough." Goodwitch sighs. 

"Mine sisters once proclaimed what fools these mortals be." Peach looks at each of them with a scowl on her features. "Yet they be the greatest fools of all, and have doomed us all."

Ruby has remained silent, deep in thought. "What fools we all be." She finally mutters as she looks at the trio of Goddesses who even now have begun to argue once more.

"They mean well, yet the road to the Ten Hells is paved with the best of intentions." Salem declares as she comes to stand beside her.

"A lesson I have learned myself." The Reaper replies with a voice full of regrets. "A lesson we both have learned all too well, my honored mother."

"Retribution still suits you, my beloved Rose." The woman with scleral eyes that once shone with brilliant silver light replies with pride. "But now is not the time to wield either of our weapons, but to show your beloved the way back to the light."

"How, my honored mother?" Ruby asks in despair. "How, when her own path has led her to eternal darkness?"

"By showing her the way back to the light. By reminding her soul of all the great and wonderful things the love you have for one another can accomplish." Ozpin declares firmly as he appears on her other side. "This is not the first time your souls have met, nor will it be the last."

Salem nods firmly. "Go. The way is open to you. Walk the paths blazed for you both by the many Ruby's, the many Weiss's of before. Remind her of the love that knows no equal, that shall never know hate or loathing. Remind her of the children once shared and that you both shall share again and again."

Ozpin smiles as he pats her hand. "Show her the truth, Ruby Rose. Show her that no matter how deeply she gives herself to the darkness in her own heart, your own light shall always balance her's, shall support her and protect her, and care for her and love her for all eternity."

Ruby nods as she closes her eyes. She knows the way her honored mother speaks of, it is a path she herself revealed to her on the day she returned to her, changed in body and soul to serve a goddess that cares only for destruction and misery. She wills her semblance to full life as she gathers the innate magical powers within her, as well as the power of her very soul. A soul forever linked to the woman she loves. 

Ruby Rose vanishes, leaving behind rose petals, three bickering Goddesses, and her mother and former teacher, both of whom are praying for her success…

* * *

Weiss sits upon a throne of darkness, in a citadel made of broken dreams and fear. She has sent Penny away with her beloved child, out of fear for the monster she is becoming. She feels the taint upon her soul growing stronger with every passing day, and feels her resolve to continue to fight it wearing thinner and thinner.

She made her choice, and is quickly realizing that she is now paying the ultimate price for it.

She sent her beloved pup away, to keep her pure and safe. She sent the robot away to protect her, to raise her as she knows her beloved Rose as well as herself would want to raise her. Penny cares deeply for Summer, and will sooner die than allow any harm to come to her. And as a mechanical creation, she does not fear Death as a mortal would, but fights against it's cold embrace all the same.

"My beloved songbird." She bursts into tears upon hearing the voice her ears have craved for so long now. She wails in her relief as she rises from her hated seat of power and crashes into the arms of the rabbit faunus she loves. She sobs into her lover's chest, even as she struggles to keep her darkness at bay. Ruby does not deserve to be punished for her decision, yet nowhere else does she feel safe or loved. No where else does she feel like she belongs, save in the arms of a Red Reaper.

"Shhhh. All is well, my beloved." Ruby reassures her as she strokes her ivory hair gently. As her other arm wrapped around her petite form keeps that feeling of safety reinforced in her mind. "All is right with our world once more."

"Ruby, I have done something horrible, my beloved." She manages to declare between deep, bone shaking sobs of grief and regret. "I have damned my soul to see you free."

"You made a choice." The younger woman replies quietly, her motions of comfort continuing unabated despite her own declaration. "It is no different from the choice I too made, my songbird. I too stained my hands in blood to see you free of the torments of mind and body forced upon you by your hated father. To see our people finally freed of his slavery."

"Forgive me!" The white wolf wails in her grief and guilt, while clinging even more tightly to her Reaper. "I have destroyed our love in my need for vengeance!"

To her surprise, her chin is lifted gently, a smile upon her lover's face she knows all too well is one that is only meant for her. "Weiss, I would destroy all of creation to insure our family's safety. I would make entire civilizations burn to see you and our child live in peace. I would lay down my arms and allow the darkness itself to take me, so long as I know you and our beloved child will live on in happiness. All these things and more I would do for you, for we are Soulbound to one another."

"I would do no less…" She declares quietly in return. "I have even damned my soul to see you and your honored sister freed."

"The Goddesses cannot damn your soul, for it only belongs to me." The Reaper informs her. "Just as mine own will forever belong to you."

"Ruby, you yet live in a dream, when reality looks upon you and makes itself known. Look at me!" She declares even as she trembles. "I gave myself to the pits. I threw myself willing into them, so that I would gain the power I required to see you free of your cage. So that Ironwood or my cursed father's many sycophants could not put you to the sword for your crimes."

She blinks as rose petals begin to swirl around them both, her petite form held securely in the strong arms she cannot sleep without. "I have seen the truth for myself, my beloved. My honored mother bade me to reveal the truth of our love to you, so that you would understand the depths of it for yourself." Ruby smiles down at her, her silver eyes glowing brightly, yet not harming her as they would her many Grimm. "Fear not the light of my soul, for it will never harm you."

"I do not fear your brilliance." Weiss replies as they vanish. "For I have nothing to fear as long as I stand within your loving embrace…"

* * *

"Where is this place?" Ruby hears Weiss ask, a smile on her own lips. 

"Where our love for one another truly began. Where it took deep root within our souls, when we accepted a gift from those who created the triumvirate." She replies quietly as the both of them stand before a three story building, The Wolf Queen's emblazoned proudly upon the door. "In this, our first life together, we were torn apart by one man's greed and thirst for power. We both suffered greatly during our time apart, and our souls united brilliantly as one when we accepted our gift, our reward for our great suffering."

Weiss watches as the door opens, a different Weiss walking out hand in hand with a far different Ruby. This Ruby is a human, and rail thin, while her other self is heavily tattooed and looking pregnant. Yet she cannot deny the look of love they share, the way their hands are clasped together lovingly, or the way their united auras swirl around the two of them so perfectly that it is difficult to tell the difference in them.

"We look so happy." She admits quietly, her hand slipping into her lover's gently. "As if we are complete."

"Even a love such as ours has a humble beginning, my beautiful songbird." The Reaper reminds her, even as she pulls the white wolf back into her arms. "But there is always more to any story. Now close your eyes."

She does so, and awaits to be told to open them once more. A command that does not take long to come. Ruby smiles as her soulmate gasps in recognition, despite this being yet another reality different from their own.

"Ruby, this is Blue Dorm!" She giggles as her white wolf looks around in excitement. "We're home!"

"Yes, but not our home, songbird." She reminds her as the door opens to reveal yet another version of herself and Weiss, this time the two of them being wolf faunuses. They watch as this new Weiss settles her Ruby down before entering the small kitchen in the common room, making them both sandwiches that they eat while looking at each other lovingly. 

"The Red Reaper of Vale and her White Princess of Atlas. Or as they will come to be known, the Master Huntress and her Winter Maiden." Ruby declares with pride. "Our love knew no boundaries, and began with a fateful sneeze."

"I will never be allowed to forget my carelessness, will I dolt?" The White Wolf grumbles as they watch their much younger counterparts depart, Ruby using her semblance to get them to their next class while Weiss laughs in genuine joy.

"It is that one defining moment in our lives, my beloved. No matter when or where we are, you must always be careless with dust, and I must always sneeze." Ruby smiles down at her, shaking her head at the scowl of displeasure on her lover's face, even as she triggers another teleport.

"Giant robots? Are we within one of your fantasies now, Ruby?" Weiss asks skeptically as they appear in the middle of a courtyard.

"Frost and Penny." The Reaper replies as she points to a pair of figures laying on the grass just past the courtyard proper, where the two massive machines of war stand and speak quietly with each other. "Even with a war not of our own, with those who were brought to Remnant to stand alongside us as champions, we always found one another. We are always drawn to one another." She smiles down at her beloved. "A love that began as children grew into so much more. Even as we fought, as we watched our world descend into the madness and chaos of war, we still stood side by side and gave others hope. Hope for something greater than themselves, hope for a future of peace and prosperity, hope for a selfless love of their own."

"Hope. Ruby, are we truly that hope in the darkness?" Weiss asks her quietly. "Are we truly the guiding light that others follow?"

"Many would follow us into hell if we but ask, my beloved songbird. They would never hesitate, for their faith in us is unshakeable. Penny, Nora, Blake, and so many others believe in us, believe in our love for one another. They follow us without question, and for that I am eternally grateful."

"Ruby, a great evil is gathering. One even I fear." The white wolf admits as they watch their two selves of another reality kiss one another deeply, the white and sky blue mech covering what appears to be an eye of sorts on the green, white, and black one.

"We shall stand together against it, my beloved. We shall face this evil with our heads held high, and with our love unifying us." The Reaper declares firmly. "We shall lead our friends forth, fight alongside them all, and shall triumph."

"And if we fail?"

"We cannot. We will not. Our daughter's life depends on our success."

"And if we fall?" 

Ruby Rose smiles down at the wolf faunus woman she has loved, does love, and will love again. "Then we shall simply seek one another out once more. Mine soul yearns only for the touch of your own, and shall never be satisfied with any other."

"Then so be it." Weiss Schnee replies as she smiles back up at the rabbit faunus she too has loved, still loves, and will love for forever. "I love you, for now until forever."

"And I love you, for forever and after." The Reaper replies to her Princess as they vanish one last time in a swirl of Red and White Rose petals…

_ Deep within the dark continent, where normally no life grows is a meadow of green that stands out among all the darkness and death. Wildflowers grow there, bursting with every color imaginable. And in the center lies the skeletal remains of a massive beast. It's bones are bleached from the sun, and it's once formidable armor plating lies cracked and ruined around it. Four weapons still remain buried in the skull of the great beast, a rapier of mithril, a katana of darkness, a golden gauntlet, and a mighty darksteel scythe. Their wielders sacrificed themselves to deliver the death blow to the beast, while saving their friends turned family, as well as the world. The world in turn mourned their loss, even as they honored team RWBY. Life and his wife Death could not, and would not allow their sacrifice to go unrewarded, for they did not just save Remnant, but all of creation itself... _

* * *

Summer Rose smiles as her newborn daughter is placed into her arms. There is a bit of sadness in her eyes as she looks at the tiny little rabbit faunus, who has inherited her brilliant silver eyes. "I wish your father could see you, Ruby." She whispers quietly. "He would already be fawning all over you."

An older rabbit faunus woman nods as she moves beside her, a two year old Yang held securely in her arms. She and Summer share a strong resemblance, but she herself is tall, and powerfully built, where her daughter is shorter and slimmer, like her father. But Elizabeth Rose smiles as she looks down at the newborn, while Yang stares at her with wide lilac eyes. "A Rose woman, through and through." She declares with pride. 

A knock on the door is quickly followed by its opening, a smiling raven haired panther faunus entering with a child of her own in her arms. "Am I fashionably late?" Kali Belladonna asks impishly, a white haired woman in tow with two little girls next, one at her side and another in her own arms.

"More like are we fashionably late?" Adaliz Schnee asks as she smiles. "And before you ask, Willow has the sniffles. Klein is sitting with her."

"Thank you both for coming." Summer smiles brilliantly at them both. "This has been a long time coming."

"Indeed. When the Goddesses themselves inform you that your children are destined for greatness, one should never argue." Kali replies seriously.

Ada simply nods as they all watch Weiss start reaching for Ruby while whimpering. "Not yet, my little pup. You both need to grow up first."

Elizabeth nods, amazed at the sight of the two year old struggling against her mother to return to her newborn granddaughter's side where she belongs. "Amazing. To think my granddaughter is Soulbound to another."

"We've all heard the legends, Mom." The younger rabbit faunus reminds her. "They saved the world from a great evil, and this is their reward."

The panther nods as she scoots over a bit, Blake reaching over to hug the tiny white wolf. "Team RWBY. I wonder what great deeds they will be capable of in these times of peace?"

"Hopefully less damned trouble than you lot got yourselves into." The elder Rose declares with a huff. "I'm terrified that they'll manage to finish destroying Beacon this time."

"We only blew it up once, Mrs. Rose." Ada reminds her.

"Twice, Ada. You always forget about that one incident with that triple cursed chicken." Kali reminds her with a snicker.

"No one's seen it in years. Now, hand me Weiss." Summer orders as she moves Ruby around gently in her arms. The Schnee Matriarch does so with a smile, Kali adding a purring Blake, while Elizabeth gently adds a giggling Yang. Stepping back, the three women nod in satisfaction at the sight of the reunited team cuddling together in Summer's lap, even Ruby having a small smile on her own face as she leans against Weiss, whose tail is wagging in her joy.

"Destiny." Kali Belladonna declares as she takes a picture.

"Fate." Adaliz agrees as she picks up Winter. "What do you think, Win?" She asks, getting a nod in reply. 

"To hell or victory." The wolf faunus girl whispers. "I will always follow them to both."

Elizabeth Rose, the proud Matriarch of her clan nods in agreement. "The question becomes, do we tell them?"

Summer Rose shakes her head as she looks at the four girls fondly. "Only we and Win know the truth, and we have sworn an oath to keep our silence, Mom. The Red Reaper of Vale, the White Princess of Atlas, the Darkest Shadow of Menagerie, and the Golden Dragon of Patch sacrificed their lives, and are reaping the reward of that sacrifice, and we shall do all we can to ensure that they enjoy those rewards."

Adaliz Schnee, Kali Belladonna, Winter Schnee, and Elizabeth Rose all nod in agreement. They all know all too well the legend of the battle of Remnant, when four women saved all of reality by sacrificing their own lives to stop a beast of pure destruction. Winter had followed them without question, as had so many others, and they had all been reborn in this new day and age as a reward for their sacrifices.

Only Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang will forever remain blissfully unaware of their victory, by order of the ones who created the Triumvirate. As they once rewarded Ruby and Weiss for the sacrifices and suffering they made, they have rewarded them once more in thanks for saving all they have created…

-fin-


	82. Vampire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Vampire  
> Writer: Reticentninja  
> Summary: Weiss has been busy chasing a certain vampire for her undying love and attention. She’s got the undying part — vampires are technically immortal but dead. However, the love and attention part… debatable.

Weiss has always been needy.

However, if you were to query her comrades about it, they would howl in laughter then spit in your face for insulting her. Needy was never entailed in Weiss’ character.

Weiss, a competent vampire hunter, imposing on someone in the utmost pathetic and clingy manner was hard to believe. It sounded so ridiculous that even her fallen comrades would be rolling around while laughing in their graves.

The lone hunter always chose to work in solitude. She didn’t need a partner, or anyone to keep her company. She had this menacing aura that she indulged in. Not the dismissive, unapproachable, cold shoulder type of menacing, but rather, her surging energy of determination. It fueled Weiss’ strength, and helped mow her enemies down. 

Weiss never stayed in one place. No one in the vampire hunter association knew why, but they assumed she was out pursuing a target. Weiss had always been tight-lipped, but the villagers and townspeople always gossiped about the troubled look on her face every time she passed through town. 

Rumor has it, Weiss was on a conquest of revenge similar to many who also chose this line of occupation in the first place. However, others chose to strongly believe she was just searching for a worthy opponent who could match her strength and prowess.

But, they were all mistaken.

Weiss, the highest ranked hunter, was blinded by love. 

She has been busy chasing a certain vampire for her undying love and attention. She’s got the undying part — vampires are  _ technically  _ immortal but dead. However, the love and attention part… debatable. 

“Ruby,” Weiss called out.

The tracks that she had been following led her to a desolate forest far from human civilization. The nearest town is three days away by foot, or one if Weiss wanted some  _ light  _ exercise. The deeper she travelled into the heart of the forest, the more dense the fog became. 

“Ruby.”

She didn’t receive an answer after she had called out the vampire’s name for a second time. Only nature responded in kind, tree leaves rustled while tree branches creaked and the roaring winds howled into her ears. A flock of crimson eyed ravens continuously squawked curses at her. Her presence was obviously not welcomed, but Weiss marched on, undeterred. She  _ needed  _ this.

“Ruby, I know you’re here.” The twigs snapped beneath Weiss’ boots when she cautiously stalked through the woods. She was getting frustrated that Ruby was  _ purposely  _ ignoring her. “...Somewhere.”

The vampire excelled at running, but in Weiss’ humble opinion, Ruby excelled at wasting her time. Every time Weiss hounded her down, Ruby would slip away like butter and the cycle would repeat itself.

“Come out, Ruby.”

Weiss swooped behind a tree, but she clicked her tongue in frustration when there was no vampire in sight. She continued to scour around. She made sure her steps were light because Ruby was like a skittish deer. Any sudden noise would trigger a tactical retreat, and Weiss would have to start back at square one… again.

“I’m not going to stake you at the heart. Your heart belongs to me anyway,” Weiss said. “You, figuratively, gave it to me.”

“No, I didn’t!” 

Ah, Weiss’ first clue. She followed the direction of the voice as she continued to distract her prey.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Well, okay, maybe… No.”

Weiss’ lips curved into a smile. Thankfully, Ruby did not excel at hiding. It made her life  _ much _ easier.

“You told me I could have your heart.” 

“Well, yeah —”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“But… But, you already know that I —”

“—like you? Why yes, I do know.”

“That’s not what I was going to say!”

“What were you going to say?”

“I was going to say that we can’t be —”

"Ahah! There you are!”

Ruby shrieked when she was attacked by an unexpected embrace in the bush she was hiding in. Weiss had latched onto her like an affection seeking dog, binding her in a tight hold that even Ruby had trouble escaping from.

Every hunter fantasized about impaling a holy water-infused wooden stake deep into a vampire’s chest, but Weiss was a little different. Just like any other hunter, Weiss loved pursuing other vampires to their ‘death’, but when it came to Ruby… Weiss loved to pursue her as a lover. 

“Marry me, Ruby.”

That was Weiss’ 165th proposal.

“Nooooo!”

Ruby declined, for the 165th time.

“Weiss, you need to get off me! Pretty please…?”

Ruby whimpered when the whole menacing vampire thing didn’t dissuade Weiss. If anything, Weiss appeared more attracted to it. 

“No.” Weiss refused to move. Instead, she tightened her grip and nuzzled her face into Ruby’s neck. “You’re just going to run away again. You should be running into my arms, not in the opposite direction.”

“For good reasons that I have explained to you multiple times already!”

“Which can be solved easily.”

“How?” Ruby dared to ask.

“Marriage,” Weiss replied happily. “Marry me, Ruby.”

“Nooo!” Ruby turned down the 166th proposal and continued her attempt to struggle out of Weiss’ grip. They were so used to chasing each other that the word ‘enemy’ had no place in their relationship. In fact, Ruby had no idea what to label this. “A vampire can’t marry a hunter! That’s against the law.”

“They can if there’s love. Haven’t you heard of the phrase ‘love triumphs all’?”

Coming off of Weiss was a pleasant aroma. It smelled sweet, and Ruby’s mouth watered. Her stomach clenched and twisted. She tried to push the thoughts away by concentrating on what was more important. 

“That’ll get us killed! They’ll never leave us alone!”

The delicious smell came incrementally closer, and Ruby couldn't tear her eyes away from the exposed neck. Weiss had angled her head and revealed a generous amount of irresistible skin. Her scent was so intoxicating that Ruby was certain Weiss would be really, really addictive if she sank her teeth in and lapped up the hunter’s blood.

“Then they have a death wish,” Weiss retorted.

"Weiss..." Ruby tried to struggle out again, but Weiss had mastered the art of hugging from their never ending cat and mouse game. She couldn’t believe this had all started when they crossed paths for the first time, approximately half a year ago. At first sight, Weiss swore to court her. Two minutes after that declaration, she got down on one knee and proposed. “You smell too good. I can’t…”

Her head started to spin as her mind started to trek into unforgiving territory. She was starting to lose control of herself. 

"Then just sink your teeth into me. Just one bite,” she insisted. “A nip on the skin.” 

“Weiss,” Ruby pleaded. “I-I can’t.”

“You can, and you should.”

“Weiss — please… I’m begging you.”

“Ruby.” Weiss swept her hair to one side and offered her neck in the most tempting way possible. “Take one sip.” 

Ruby gulped as her breathing started to become irregular, and she pitifully whined. “It’ll make me want you even more…”

Weiss looked so delicious and... consenting. She wanted to gloss her tongue over that particular spot. She wanted to know what her skin tasted like. All she had to do was bare her fangs and lean forward. Weiss would groan, be it from pain or pleasure, then Ruby would push her down and— 

Ruby removed herself from such delirious, filthy fantasies. It didn’t change the fact she was still craving her. Even though she had pushed the thoughts of ravishing Weiss to the back of her mind.

“I see no problem with that,” Weiss smiled. “In fact, please do.” 

“I can’t.” Ruby desperately held onto the last of her self control that was quickly slipping away from her. She could imagine how sweet Weiss’ blood would be. Sweeter than wine. Equally as sweet as her lips. “I don’t want you to be an outcast. Being a vampire wouldn’t give you the life you want.”

“The life I want is to be with you. Think of how happy we would be together. So, turn me, Ruby.”

“N-No!” It wasn’t confident as Ruby wanted to come out. “I mean, I want us to be happy. But… I don’t want you to suffer. Being a vampire isn’t easy — controlling your hunger isn’t easy.”

“Age wouldn’t be an obstacle for us anymore. We can live a happy married life, adopt kids, raise animals, live in the woods, and — ”

Ruby finally broke free from Weiss’ grasp. She wiped off the drool that had crawled out of the corner of her mouth and booked it after muttering an apology.

Weiss clicked her tongue as she watched Ruby flee. She was back to square one. She would have to give chase again, but she decided to do that later. She sat on the ground and absentmindedly wrung the grass from its roots.

She needed to devise a better plan.

* * *

Ruby hadn’t seen Weiss for well over two weeks. This was by far the longest she had escaped from her. Ruby knew that Weiss had more than enough resources at her disposal to track her down, so this was… concerning.

“Have you heard the news, mate?” A rugged, bearded man said as he wiped the liquor from his mouth after guzzling down the whole mug. “They said Weiss got herself into deep waters.”

His companion, who was just as rough around the edges, howled in laughter and slapped him on the back. “Good joke, buddy.”

“I’m being serious here.” 

Sitting alone in the corner of the tavern, Ruby strained her ears to listen to their conversation. 

“Weiss can beat the shit out of anyone.”

“But they said she got captured by one of those… Errr, what were they called again... Rainbow Fangs?” 

“You dumbass. They’re called The White Fangs because vampires have y’know…  _ white fangs _ .”

Ruby stood from her chair after tipping a few bronze coins to the kind waitress. She left the tavern in search of Weiss.

* * *

All the clues Ruby had been gathering led her to a conspicuous, abandoned factory. She kicked the door down and stormed in without any caution.

“Oh good, you’re finally here.” Cinder sat up on the chair she had been slouching on and closed the book she was reading. “Couldn’t you have arrived quicker? You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you. I know I’m a vampire, but holy shit, those two weeks felt like an eternity.”

“Where’s Weiss?” Ruby hissed.

Cinder clapped her hands and the factory roared to life. The conveyor belts mounted on the ceiling revealed an unconscious Weiss bound in thick, metal chains. Underneath her was a large cauldron of what Ruby assumed was hot oil. A classic damsel in distress. 

“Weiss!” Ruby gasped. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing,” Cinder simply answered. “She’s getting what she’d wished for.”

Ruby balled her hands into a fist and growled. “Unhand her!”

“Trust me, honey. I would  _ love  _ to.” Cinder rolled her eyes. She then cleared her throat and proceeded to read off the script that she had written on the palm of her hand. “If you want your annoying hunter back, then you’ll have to pry this remote control out of my cold, dead hands.”

Ruby did exactly that. She came after Cinder and they struggled for the remote. She seized the control only after Cinder had accidentally slipped on a step and fell to the ground.

“Oh, no.” Cinder drawled unenthusiastically, as she laid flat and helpless on the ground. “I have fallen and I can’t get up. What ever should I do?”

“You’re lucky I didn’t kill you!” Ruby shouted, while struggling to work the remote control. 

Cinder snorted. 

“Darn it, which button am I supposed to press? There’s so many.”

“The green one,” Cinder answered.

“Nice try, you can’t trick me.”

“No, seriously. It’s the green one. Please press it so I can go home already.”

“I’m not going to trust you!”

Cinder let out a frustrated groan. She secretly pulled out a spare remote and pushed the green button. The conveyor belt roaring to life startled Ruby, she didn’t question how it started to work because all she could think about was Weiss.

“Weiss!” Ruby slid to her side once the hunter was safely lowered to the ground. With her bare hands, she tore the metal chains apart. “Weiss, are you okay? Answer me! Why does she look so pale? What did you do, Cinder?”

Cinder casually got back up on her feet and dusted the dirt off her clothes. She wanted to go home already. “I gave her the deadliest of poisons.”

“What kind…?”

“The  _ deadliest _ ,” Cinder emphasized dramatically. “She asked for it anyway.”

Ruby gasped. “You truly are diabolical!”

Cinder rolled her eyes. “Better hurry and suck the poison out of her before she dies. Chop, chop.”

Ruby looked at Weiss and hesitated. If she were to sink her fangs, Weiss would turn into a vampire. If she didn’t, then the hunter would die. As much as Ruby didn’t want to turn Weiss, she preferred the former option a hundred times more than the latter.

Ruby leaned down and bit Weiss’ neck. She drank her blood, and oddly enough, she didn’t taste any poison in Weiss’ blood. 

“Mission accomplished, Cinder. You may leave now,” Weiss said, as she opened her eyes.

“Thank god.”

“Though, your performance could’ve been better.”

“Bitch. Whatever. You better keep your end of the deal.”

“A Schnee’s promise.”

“Weiss?” Ruby pulled her fangs from Weiss’ neck with a confused expression. The blue eyes Weiss was born with had now turned red. “What’s going on?”

Weiss wrapped her arms around Ruby’s neck and played with her hair. “What do you mean? You just saved me from a deadly poison.”

“But I didn’t taste any poison in your blood…”

“I had food poisoning recently. Now, I don’t feel it anymore. Thank you very much.”

Ruby gave her a look of disbelief. “Did you just trick me into turning you into a vampire?”

Weiss smiled and pulled Ruby in closer. “In a sense, yes.”

“Weiss!” Ruby groaned. “I can’t believe you just did that!”

“Now that I’m a vampire, you’ll have to take responsibility. Do you know what I’m thinking?” 

“Uhhh…”

Ruby glanced at her lips before looking back into her eyes. They were tangled in a very compromising position, and the way Weiss had been staring at her made it seem like she wanted to make out. Or cuddle. Or maybe...

“Marry me, Ruby.”

“Ugh, fine.”


	83. Workshop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Workshop  
> By redlerred7  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlerred7/
> 
> This was supposed to be for a completely different prompt that I forgot about. I'm so sorry, Shark! I hope this makes up for it.
> 
> Enjoy if you can!

**_Mid-morning, Rose-Xiao Long household, island of Patch…_ **

Ruby heard the garage door open and looked up warily from her work bench. It was maintenance day and she had explicitly requested to not be bothered that morning—her quality time with Crescent Rose was very important to her. It felt a little upsetting that her request had gone ignored.

Thankfully, it was only Weiss, who walked past Ruby to the floor-to-ceiling shelves of tools and spare parts. She picked out a pair of pliers, a roll of electrical tape, a coil of copper wire, and a screwdriver, shooting Ruby a raised brow when she noticed the eyes trained on her.

"Something up?" Weiss asked, stowing the tools in her hoodie's pockets. "I can't read minds, Ruby. If there's a problem that's not plainly visible, you're gonna have to tell me."

Ruby didn't necessarily think there was a problem, though there was certainly something different—she just couldn't put her finger on  _ what. _ But it probably didn't matter, so she shook her head and returned her attention to Crescent Rose.

Weiss left the garage while Ruby continued where she left off: inspecting and cleaning her weapon's barrel.

Crescent Rose's collapsible barrel doubled as the shaft connecting a compound scythe blade to the bolt and receiver assembly. Though scythes are totally freaking awesome, attaching one to the end of a high powered rifle had the unfortunate side effect of decreasing accuracy and bending the barrel. Sure, two pounds of weight wasn't that big a deal, but when it was on the end of a pipe nearly as long as she was tall, it could definitely cause some wear over time. Earlier designs were even worse about this since she had failed to take into account how she'd still need to swing the thing. She still remembered the first time the barrel snapped in two during training, which would have decapitated her uncle Qrow had it not been for his aura. _ That _ had been a serious wake-up call to take her design game up a few more levels. Later iterations fixed the snapping problem, but couldn't fully eliminate the bending—only mitigate it.

Thankfully, channeling aura through her weapon could sufficiently compensate for what design and engineering could not accomplish. Even after six months of regular use, the current barrel had only bent 1/32 of a degree from how it was when it was brand new. For an anti-materiel rifle, that was still pretty good. Well within margin of error.

Ruby finished scrubbing the inside of the barrel with her rag-on-a-stick and moved on to the receiver assembly.

It was at this moment that she heard an explosion from somewhere inside the house, followed by Weiss screaming. Ruby blinked, remembering that her wife had taken some electrical supplies from the shelves mere minutes ago. With a conflicted wince, her eyes darted back and forth between the door and Crescent Rose's parts laid out on the workbench.

She was faced with a dilemma. Would she leave Crescent Rose in her stripped-down state and investigate whatever happened to Weiss, like a good spouse should? Or would she trust that the woman she married was someone who, while perfectly capable of handling problems on her own, would ask for help if necessary? Duty or trust?

Before she could come to a decision, the door opened once more, Weiss stalking towards the shelves for the second time that day. She looked completely uninjured, but her hoodie was singed.

"Something wrong?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing," Weiss growled, grabbing the heavy duty pliers, a hand-drill, and a small stack of sheet metal. "Just working on something that's making me mad."

"What are you working on?"

Weiss smiled "It's a surprise. Nothing to be concerned about." She left the garage without explaining any further.

Ruby pouted. "That's not fair, teasing me with a secret like that," she grumbled. "And if it's a secret, why  _ shouldn't _ I be concerned?"

She shook her head and shelved the topic. While her curiosity was piqued, there were things that held her interest more right now. She returned her attention to Crescent Rose's receiver assembly.

Given that Crescent Rose was a manual bolt-action rifle, its receiver was actually much simpler than many of its automatic and semi-automatic contemporaries. There were few moving parts, most of them connected to the cocking handle. The only really complicated parts was the system of springs and levers that allowed her to choose whether the blow-back of gunfire would be absorbed into the recoil springs or transferred directly into her body for traversal purposes. She made sure to examine every part carefully so as to prevent the gun from blowing up in her face due to a misfire, or spearing her in the stomach due to a recoil-system malfunction.

Another explosion rocked the house just as Ruby was going to reassemble her baby. Following shortly after that was a scream of frustration that could only ever have been Weiss's.

"Yeah, no, curiosity wins," Ruby said with a huff, standing from her seat. "I'm sorry, Crescent Rose. I need to know what the other love of my life is doing before we can continue."

Dispersing into a storm of rose petals, Ruby dashed around the house, literally flying down the halls and up the stairs, eventually skidding to a stop in front of the attic door. It was slightly ajar, the sound of Weiss's voice escaping through the tiny gap. Ruby chose not to comment on the colorful language her wife was making use of.

"Weiss-y?" Ruby said gently as she peeked her head into the attic. "Weiss-y, what's wrong?"

Then she blinked and turned wide-eyed when she saw Weiss sitting amidst a messy pile of steel sheets and electronics. On the floor directly in front of her were scorch marks and a dismantled taser. In her hands was a rolled up length of steel covered in what Ruby could only assume was rubber, or some other electro-resistant material.

Weiss had immediately stopped her ranting when Ruby first entered the room but had not said anything as Ruby eyed the various materials before them..

"Uh… what'cha got there?" Ruby hazarded to ask.

Instead of answering, Weiss let out a deep sigh and summoned a glyph under the dismantled taser and electronics. The parts began to reassemble themselves, slowly floating higher into the air until they were level with Weiss's face, at which point she swung the steel tube into the glowing circle and dismissed the glyph.

Now in her hands was a simple yet elegant looking stun baton.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, leaning in close to stare at the newly created weapon. "May I?"

Weiss shrugged and handed Ruby the blunt instrument. "Knock yourself out."

With an elated smile, Ruby began swaying the baton back and forth. "Ooh. This thing feels really lively in my hand. It's so easy to move the point around." She gave a quick swipe, making a distinct whoosh sound. "The balance feels off for a baton, though. The center of mass is too close to the handle to really get a good swing in. Feels more like a stabby-stab weapon than a swish-swoosh weapon."

Weiss smiled wryly, averting her eyes. She did not respond vocally, however.

"Well, I guess since it's a stun baton, the point isn't really to beat your opponent. You'd be trying to shock them."

Ruby pressed the button on the handle that she assumed was the taser's on-switch. It immediately flashed, crackled, and exploded in her hand.

"Yikes!" Ruby yelped, dropping the now singed metal tube.

Weiss let out a brief laugh, shaking her head. "Oh, gods. Why did I expect that to happen?"

A pout. "Wait, you did that on purpose!?"

"Of course I didn't!" Weiss snapped. "But I knew you'd insist on trying it anyway, so I let nature run its course."

Ruby scowled and turned away. "Alright, you got a point," she conceded begrudgingly. "But still, though. Why make this thing in the first place?"

Weiss sighed again and waved a hand, shoving most of the electronics to the side of the room with a glyph. She tapped the floor at her side expectantly. Ruby wordlessly complied and sat next to her.

"I was jealous," Weiss eventually said after a moment of silence.

"Uh… of Crescent Rose?"

A roll of the eyes. "Of  _ you _ , you dolt. Of you, and Yang, and Blake, and everyone."

Ruby tilted her head, still not sure what Weiss was trying to say.

"I don't know," Weiss continued. "You have Crescent Rose. Blake has Gambol Shroud. Yang has Ember Cecilia, Bumblebee,  _ and _ her own right arm. All of you have a shared experience that I don't…"

"But you have Myrtenaster, don't you?"

Weiss pursed her lips. "I do, but… she's a rigid,  _ stabby-stab _ weapon, as you'd put it. I don't need to disassemble her, or sharpen her, or do much of anything with her other than oil and polish her every few weeks. I don't need to spend hours in the garage for weapon maintenance like you guys do…"

Ruby looked down at the discarded stun baton that had been pushed to the corner. "So… you decided to teach yourself how to make weapons?"

A nod.

"And… I'm guessing you don't want to just make swords and stuff, right?"

Weiss glanced at Ruby nervously. "I want to make a weapon that's cool enough for you to fawn over."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She blinked and looked away, keeping her eyes at a nondescript patch of wall.

"You're blushing," Weiss noted, quietly.

"I know…" Ruby pulled her legs up to her chest. "Was this deliberate?"

"In some ways, perhaps…"

A wordless pause.

"Alright, fine. Making you blush was a happy accident," Weiss admitted with a sigh. "But I'm serious about the first part, though."

"I believe you." Ruby leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, propping herself up with her hands. "I think you should keep going. The prototype was already really good. You have an eye for pragmatic design that doesn't sacrifice style. I want to see more of what you can come up with."

"Do I hear a  _ 'but' _ incoming?"

"But I don't want you doing it in this dusty old attic," Ruby continued, turning to Weiss seriously. "This room is barely ventilated, badly lit, and all the spare tools are three floors away. You're likely to set the house on fire if you keep working with metal and electricity up here."

A wry chuckle. "Yeah, I figured as much."

Ruby frowned. "If you knew, then why lock yourself in here at all?"

Weiss ran a hand through her hair. "I… I didn't want to tip my hand until I was sure it would wow you…"

"There's that perfectionism again."

She sighed. "Yeah, it is… Terrible, isn't it…?"

"A little bit, yeah. But it doesn't bother me that much. I'm a bit of a perfectionist myself for some things, so it's not like I can't relate. And besides…" Ruby leaned to the side, letting her head rest on Weiss's shoulder. "Having someone in my life who pushes me to get better is one of the best parts of being married to you."

Weiss snorted. "Flatterer," she mumbled accusingly.

"If it's what'll get you to finally move your little operation to the garage, I'll flatter you until you're flat as a pancake."

Weiss blinked and eyed Ruby with a raised brow. "Er… You know, flattery doesn't mean—"

"Weiss," Ruby cut in, "just go down to the garage already."

With another deep sigh, Weiss stood and gathered all of her weapon materials with a quick flick of a finger and flash of a glyph. The various wires and scrap metal all fell into a cardboard box behind her.

Ruby giggled and jumped to her feet, picking up the box. "There. Was that so hard?"

"Only for my pride."

"I'm sure you can build it back up once you get back to working. Now c'mon."

Ruby kicked the door open and began walking. Weiss followed behind her, their footsteps falling in sync as they traversed the house.

"Hey, Ruby…"

Ruby didn't look back but did quirk her head towards Weiss's voice. "Yeah?"

"Thanks…"

A small smile. "You're welcome. It was my pleasure."

From that day onwards, Crescent Rose maintenance days doubled as Weiss's weapon prototype development days.


	84. Spider

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Spider  
> Writer: ReticentNinja  
> Summary: Weiss commits arson  
> A/N: I would too

Weiss almost fell asleep to the sounds of her droning car engine and radio. As she stared out of the open window with unfocused eyes, the breeze whispered into her ears as if it was singing a sweet lullaby. Her hair was tousled backwards by the breeze, and Weiss found nature’s touch comforting. 

“Doing okay over there?”

Weiss looked over to Ruby, who was currently driving cautiously with both hands on the wheel. “Mmhm,” she hummed sluggishly in response.

“Sleepy?” Ruby smiled, her eyes stayed sharply focused on the one lane road.

“Just a little bit.” Weiss let out a big yawn as she rubbed the corner of her eyes. “But this is nice. We don’t usually get days off like this, since we’re always swamped with missions. Let’s remember to thank Blake for recommending Menagerie and accommodating us for this trip.”

“It’s definitely different compared to being in Vale or Atlas,” Ruby noted. “I like it.”

“Not as many pavements and buildings, and a lot more wildlife and nature,” Weiss agreed, a faint sigh escaping her lips. “It’s a nice change in scenery. How long will it take until we get to Blake’s villa?”

“Dunno,” Ruby shrugged her shoulders. She started to drum her fingers against the steering wheel because the car in front of them was going below the speed limit. “I think at this rate, maybe in a couple of hours. Why do you ask?”

“I can drive if you’re feeling too tired,” Weiss offered.

“Nah, I got it babe. Go take a short nap or something.”

“Mm, okay.”

Ruby reached over to the radio and adjusted the volume until she found a perfect compromise. It was loud enough to hear the lyrics, but soft enough to allow Weiss to sleep peacefully.

Another hour deep into the relaxing drive, Ruby’s brain was now on autopilot. Her mind had zoned out, but her eyes paid all the necessary attention to the road. Suddenly, a blood curdling scream from the passenger seat made her jump straight up. Her foot  _ nearly  _ slammed on the brakes until she remembered there was a car trailing along behind her. 

“P-Pull over, Ruby!” Weiss stuttered.

“What for?” Ruby’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion because she couldn’t take her eyes off the road. The road was now starting to wind, with some sharp bends. She certainly did not want to cause an accident. “What’s wrong? Why do we need to pull over?”

“Because there’s a fucking giant spider that’s the size of my face sitting on the ceiling of this car!” 

Ruby quickly glanced to see what Weiss was shrieking about. And just as Weiss had described earlier, there was indeed a ‘fucking giant spider that’s the size of her face’. The hairy, long legged arachnid was casually hitching a free ride as it hung upside down on the car ceiling.

“That’s one huge spider,” Ruby whistled, at its impressive size. “I wonder how it got in.”

“I don’t care  _ how  _ it got  _ in _ ! I want it  _ out _ .” Weiss shouted. “Pull over, Ruby.”

“Uh, Weiss… I can’t pull over.”

“And why not?!”

“There’s no shoulder I can pull over to.”

“Ruby, there’s a fucking giant spider in our car and it’s— oh my god it’s moving. It’s fucking moving.”

Weiss nearly leaped into Ruby’s lap as the freakishly large spider crawled closer towards her. 

“Babe, stop — I’m driving.”

“There’s a spider  _ right  _ there. It’s  _ right  _ there! Oh fuck me, I’m going to die. I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to —”

“Yeah, from a car crash if you don’t calm down!” Ruby interjected with a huge huff. “Look, you’ll be fine,” she tried to calm Weiss down. “Take a deep breath and relax. It’s just a huntsman spider. They’re mostly harmless.”

“ _ Mostly _ harmless?” Weiss snuck a glance at the spider, but her brain did a one-eighty once she saw too many eyes and fangs like a shark. She turned to Ruby with pleading eyes while her hands grabbed Ruby’s shirt. “Please pull over.”

“Weiss, I can’t. Stopping on a one lane road is going to cause traffic, or worse, an accident. Just bear with it for a few more minutes. I promise I’ll pull over when I get the chance.”

“Can’t you see that my life is in danger?!” Weiss, a licensed huntress with more than five years experience under her belt, cried out. The furtive glances she sent to the spider continued to fuel her fear and anxiety even more. “It’s crawling. Oh my god, why is it crawling closer. No, no, no, no, no, no. Tell it to stop crawling. Ruby,  _ tell  _ it stop crawling.”

Ruby tried to make the situation better. “Spider, I uhh… command you to stop moving…?”

“It’s  _ still  _ fucking crawling!” Weiss screamed at the top of her lungs. “I can’t be here anymore. I’m moving to the back seat.”

Weiss whipped her seatbelt free and scrambled over the center console to the back. After she pulled herself upright onto the seat, her stomach dropped. The spider was frolicking its way to the back of the car as if it was attracted to her misery.

“No, no, no, no,” Weiss sobbed. “Stop following me. Please stop following me. Stop coming closer, please stop—”

“—Weiss, you need to stop screaming—”

“—oh my fucking god, I’m going to die. Ruby, it’s above me. It’s  _ literally  _ right above me. I need to get out,  _ now _ .”

Weiss reached for the door handle and yanked it to open. However, the child lock feature trapped her inside like a caged prisoner.

“Ruby, unlock the damn door.” Weiss yelled, as she kept pulling on the door handle.

“I’m not letting you jump out,” Ruby said firmly. “It’s just an oversized spider that’s hitch hiking with us.”

“With a face of a mutated, man-eating alien,” Weiss hissed. “I’d rather take my chances with road rash than to be next to that…  _ thing _ ! Let. Me. Out. Now.”

“I’m not unlocking the door.”

“Then roll down the back windows!” Weiss screeched at her. 

“I’m not letting you jump out through the windows either.”

“Open the windows,” Weiss snarled. “That way the spider can crawl back outside where it came from and I can be — oh no, no, no, no, no, it’s crawling on the window now. It’s crawling down the fucking window. Look at what you’ve done, Ruby!”

Weiss scrambled to the opposite side of the car with her back pressed against the door. The shrieking never stopped, and Ruby genuinely didn’t know what would happen first: her eardrums bursting or Weiss breaking the door open. With a sigh, she lowered the windows far enough where the spider would be able to squeeze through, but not Weiss.

“Roll the window back up! Roll it back up!” Weiss hissed.

“But you just said you wanted the window down...”

“It’s too late for that, you dolt! Are you trying to get me killed?! It’s now a few extra steps from scuttling its way down the window! Roll it back up!”

“Ugggh,” Ruby groaned out loud and did as she was told. She endured another very long minute of her girlfriend constantly screaming — not the good kind, mind you — and her only saving grace was a shoulder that appeared up ahead. “Weiss, I’m pulling over right now.”

Once Ruby pulled the car into park and undid the child safety lock, Weiss barreled out of the car. She stood ten feet away as Ruby took her time getting out from the driver’s side.

Ruby bravely opened the door to the back seat and checked around the car. “Where’s the spider?”

“It’s huge. You can’t miss it.”

“I don’t see it anywhere.”

“What do you mean you ‘ _ don’t see it anywhere _ ’?” Weiss shouted exasperatedly, flailing her hands. “It was  _ right  _ there a minute ago.”

“I don’t see it,” Ruby said again, shrugging. She even checked underneath the seats. “Weiss, I don’t see the spider anymore.”

The color on Weiss’ face drained, as if her soul had permanently left her body. “So it’s somewhere in the car…?”

“It probably climbed outside while you weren’t looking.”

“It’s inside the car,” Weiss said in disbelief. “Great. We lost a huge ass spider inside the fucking car.”

Ruby scratched her cheek as she watched Weiss pace back and forth. “What do you want to do? Continue driving, or…?”

“Pop open the trunk,” Weiss ordered.

Ruby hesitated. “Why...?”

“I said  _ pop it open _ .”

Choosing not to argue with her highly anxious and irritated girlfriend, Ruby relented with a sigh. With much reluctance, she opened the trunk for Weiss and watched her rummage through their luggages. What she didn’t expect was Weiss to pull out Myrtenaster.

“Wait, Weiss, what are you doing—”

“This car needs to go.”

“No, wait, hun, let’s be reasonable—”

It was too late. Weiss had reloaded dust into her weapon’s chamber and set the car on fire. Ruby watched in horror as the car went up inflames. Scrap metal exploded high to the sky, piece by piece. Flabbergasted, Ruby face-palmed.

“That car was a rental…”

“I’ll reimburse them,” Weiss said dryly, not a single regret on her face.

“Our luggage?”

“Replaceable.”

Ruby squeezed the bridge of her nose and let out the biggest sigh of the year. She retrieved Crescent Rose from the trunk, the only thing that made it out alive from that burning wreck.

Ruby sucked in her cheeks. “Soo, we’re walking?”

Not like they had any other choice anyway.

“We’re walking,” Weiss nodded.

‘In a spider infested land,’ Ruby wanted to put that out there, but she kept that thought to herself. She wouldn’t know how Blake would feel if Weiss were to set Menagerie on fire and wipe it off the map.

“Ruby?”

“Hm?”

“We are  _ never  _ coming to Menagerie again.”


	85. Lantern

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Lantern  
> Author: gaymerkree  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymerkree/pseuds/gaymerkree

_ It's another wolf bite _ _  
_ _ Howlin' in the moonlight _ _  
_ _ I wanna get my life right! _ _  
_ _ Will you show me the way? _ _  
_ _ Tonight _

Wolf Bite \- Owl City

The distant howls of wolves blanket the forest of Beacon Hills. Somber, and startling, the near ancient trees tower above the nearby buildings within the burrows of Beacon proper. Everything about the night was ominous, a promise of regret and sorrow to all that dare to enter. Below the thicket of the leaves, and above the underbrush walks a woman, cloaked in red so vibrant it can be seen in the darkness. 

The woman is younger, with dark crimson hair and silver eyes, in her early twenties, dressed in black save for her bright red, hooded cloak. She walks slow but is sure in her steps as she creeps deeper and deeper into the forest. She bares only a bow, with a quiver of arrows, and a tall staff capped with an iron hook to balance a dimmed lantern. With every step the light source sways and creeks atop the old wood staff, sending shadows into the deepest parts of the woods. 

A battle rages within the young woman’s heart, conversations that occurred days before her fateful trek into the woods. Her father's voice pleads with her  _ “Your mother tried to reason with the beast and it killed her, please Ruby…”  _ Ruby grumbled at the memory, but mostly at the look in her uncle’s eyes.

_ “Careful kiddo. Kill or converse, that beast has wrought chaos on our little village, if it’s truly gone quiet, it could mean something much worse is afoot.” _

* * *

_ Long ago, the founder of the town, a young pioneer from the kingdom of Atlas named Jacques Atlassian, placed its markers. The town was settled into a small inlet between the woods at the north, and a wide river to the south. For its first six years it prospered, farmers were greeted with a prosperous harvest each year, and the hunters were easily able to sustain the town, On the seventh year, however, before the first hunt, a woman descends the mountain, and waits for the mayor at the center of town. She tells the older, now  _ Schnee  _ patriarch that she was the goddess of the land he had marked for his home, and for the previous six years she had allowed his home to prosper, but now she requested  _ compensation _.  _

_ The mayor growls a heated  _ “No!” _ and throws the woman out, but each day after she returns. When the hunts start they find the woods barren, finding neither hide nor hair of the animals they once fed from. When the harvest comes they find nothing but dry, unforgiving soil. Again the woman, clad in black and red, stands at the town square and requests her offering. Again Jacques screams “No!!” and throws the woman out once again.  _

_Another year of bad harvests and empty-handed hunts and the woman returns a final time. “This is your final offer mayor Schnee, give me my offering, or face the consequences.”_ _She declares. The townspeople plead with their leader to give the goddess her offering, but again the prideful man declares “No!”_

_ The goddess takes pity on the poor village, fully willing to provide the sacrifice to her, but their leader will gain no such kindness. Jacques is cursed to become a beast of a man, banished into the woods with his family to atone for his crimes. _

* * *

There’s a rustle from behind, and the woman holds back a flinch as two wolves emerge from the brush to circle her. The wolves look related, in a way more familiar than just two animals in the same pack. One is larger, but only slightly with a light gray fur, and it’s smaller companion shimmers in the moonlight a nearly fluorescent white.  _ Must be getting close _ . She thinks as the wolves flank her and tilt their heads forward. The next part of the trip feels more ominous than before, with the large animals watching her every move. 

“So what do you do for fun around here?” Her voice cracks in the waning light, nervous and low. The wolves pause to look at one another, before looking back to Ruby. The redhead shifts where she stands, gesturing forward, “Sorry- Please continue.”

* * *

_ In the coming years, the town’s harvest grew back to the bounty they’d experienced in prior years, but hunting remained stagnant. They discover why when hunters begin going missing. Two hunting parties go missing before a third comes home with a single frantic young man. He’s wounded, covered in wolf bites, and terrified out of his mind. “Wolves!” He shouts to the new mayor, An aging man with vibrant green eyes. “The size of horses!!”  _

_ Jacques’s curse becomes their own. He becomes a demon of the woods, a wolf-like beast as gruesome and haggard as his soul. He takes the slight of his former home personally, setting his sights on the town’s hunters.  _

* * *

The wolves lead her to a hidden cave at the center of the forest, her lantern rocks uneasily on its hook, and the woman suppresses another shiver. The night had turned cold, and windy, permitting the air with a heavy chill. In quiet awe, Ruby watches as one wolf enters the cave, and the other sits patiently at her side. Deep within her, she feels the urge to reach out, to pet her quiet guard. The wolf looks up at her cautiously, as if reading her mind, and Ruby braves the space between them to pat softly at its head. Startled, the wolf nearly jumps back, looking confused, but not angry, it’s ears flopping to the side and back up again. 

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! You just looked really soft…” The woman mumbles, shoulders hunching in. “I was right though…” 

Again the wolf looks surprised, but approaches again, seating itself even closer to Ruby’s leg. It looks like it wants to be pet again, but giving that information up would be too much, and Ruby happily squats down to scratch softly behind a large, fluffy ear. The wolf relaxes into Ruby, huffing softly in satisfaction. Ruby smiles softly, content to pet the oversized puppy, as long as they allowed her to.

Time creeps forward, a slow and agonizing pace. The leader she’s meant to meet doesn’t show, and Ruby is left with her begrudgingly affectionate guard. Again her thoughts spiral, she’s familiar with the legends, the tales of the monstrous leader of the wolf pack that haunts their northern woods, and the history her family has been made to face. The reality of her situation settles heavily atop her shoulders, and her hands drop to the ground, and she sniffs roughly.

* * *

_ Two years of ultimately disastrous hunts have the town on the brink of ruin again, even though they offer what they can to the goddess. She descends the mountains again to ask why the offerings lack the spoils of their hunts. The mayor pleads for the goddess’ mercy and explains the predicament they’d been forced into. The goddess again has mercy on the poor village and selects a young girl from the crowd. The child shivers in her grasp, but after a gentle press of the goddess’ fingers her shivering stops, and she closes her eyes. When they open again her eyes have been changed. From deep blue, they shine like liquid moonlight, and the goddess smiles.  _

“Now you have a warrior to best that beast.” _ She explains that the young girls’ bloodline would continue to have her moonlight eyes. These warriors would be the leaders of their hunts and would be able to counter the wolves that tormented them. _

_ As the years rolled by, none of the warriors were ever able to make the final blow on the beast, merely injuring him till the next hunt. Along the way, that role changed. The warriors were sent to  _ kill _ or  _ be killed _ by the beast, and in the case of Ruby’s mother, she tried to  _ reason _ with the thing, and in the end, lost her life.  _

* * *

Ruby was still just a child when her mother was taken from her, and the fat of her legacy was placed upon the child’s shoulders. Now that she was a young adult, she had made the trek into the woods, up the mountain, and to the cave entrance of the beast that killed her mother. She sobs quietly next to the confused wolf, who trots around the woman in a worried fashion. It whimpers and coos, nuzzling the human’s arms and shoulders. The story had come out in distant words, like reciting a verse from a religious tome, something she’d repeated to herself to prepare for her mission, but now, at the moment, it fell flat. The wolf settles, cocking its head to the side curiously, offering another concerned whimper. “What am I supposed to do?”

_ “What do we have here?” _ The voice comes from deep in the cave, gravelly and bitter.  _ “Another silver-eyed human come to  _ reconcile _?” _

Struggling to stand Ruby holds her bow tightly to her chest, “You’re the beast that killed my mother?”

With a raucous laugh, the beast emerges from the darkness of the cave, into the light of Ruby’s lantern. He’s shorter than she expected, hunched over covered in white fur patches. His face is vaguely human, frozen in a wolfish snarl, distorting his voice as he speaks.  _ “Kneel before me human, and I will make your death quick.”I _

“I won’t be so easily bested monster!” Ruby roars, but as she aims for the creature’s face the other wolf, and a smaller third wolf approach from the darkness. She steps back, bumping into her guard wolf from before. The best that was formerly Jacques Schnee growls lunging at the silver-eyed warrior.

Ruby braces herself for the impact but all she hears is a snarl and a whimper as something hits the ground beside her. Her former guard snarls, lifting themselves to growl towards their patriarch. Ruby sends out a volley of arrows, stopping Jacques in his steps as she rushes towards the prone wolf. There’s a shimmer of light, and something warm wraps around Ruby, loving and gentle. It’s almost like smoke that swirls through the area, protective around Ruby and her new wolf friend. When the smoke clears the silver-eyed warrior gasps. Next to her stands the most beautiful woman she’s ever seen. Ruby would think she was an angel if it wasn't for her long nails, fangs, and the wolf-like ears flattened atop her head. The woman has wrapped a snow-white wolf pelt around Ruby’s shoulders, standing on guard at her side. 

“You-”

“No.” The woman’s voice is haughty, with a subtle gruffness that sends a shiver through the redhead’s spine. “We can talk later.”

With a curt nod, Ruby stands, pulling out her bow and taking aim on the frazzled monster. At his side the other two wolves exchange glances. The larger light gray wolf crosses the space between the two warring parties, settling purposefully on the other side of Ruby.

“Two on three looks like we have the upper hand.” The wolf grunts and all three turn their gaze back on the furious beast. 

“You are mine!!” He roars, “I gave you life! You serve me!!” Red seeps into the monster’s eyes and into his cheeks, flushed with anger. “You are mine to lead! Mine to control!” He stomps as his spitting remarks do nothing to move his kin from the huntress’s side.

“Looks to me like they think differently.” Ruby purrs, passing a playful wink towards the thing that may have killed her mother. 

His temper tantrum continues as he stomps and roars. Beside him, his remaining child cowers beneath his rage. The snowy beauty beside Ruby huffs, spinning a dagger in either hand. “Whitley-” 

A harsh bark is her answer. The smallest wolf lowers himself to the ground and growls with his father. 

The Monster attacks. He leaps, field by anger and betrayal, towards Ruby, but his attack is aimed at her blue-eyed savior. She ducks, taking a few swipes at his exposed stomach, and shifts her stance back to Ruby’s side. 

“Winter-” She doesn’t need to finish her request as the other wolf sprints around, diving towards the shaking monster’s legs. 

Something in her chest pulls taut and Ruby follows the pull backward and into a nearby tree. Her lupine companions continue their onslaught against the beast, and he roars, furious. 

Nocking an arrow she takes aim at the creature. Through the tussle, she can’t get a clear shot, and as she does, the smallest wolf blocks her path. She grumbles, looking to her companions before whistling low. Both sets of wolf ears catch the sound, and as if on instinct, jump back. Blue eyes find Ruby in the darkness, and realize what is taking her so long;  _ Whitley _ .

With a wild howl, she dives for her sibling, and Ruby fires three arrows in quick succession into the beast’s muzzle. Winter follows the onslaught, diving towards her father’s throat from the side, and her sister makes the final blow, driving both daggers into his heaving chest. 

Descending from her tree, Ruby watches as the beast’s chest expands one last time before he fades away. The magic wrapped around him vanishes and all three watch as he ages in quick succession, till his skin withers and his bones turn to dust. 

The magic continues to swirl around the clearing and as it wraps around the three siblings Ruby gasps. The youngest of the three wolves appears in a burst of snow, scruffy and irritable. Winter stands as the transformation wraps around her, blood still flecked across her face. Her savor, the middle wolf, Steps forward with a gruff sigh. Gone are her wolf ears and tail, but a thin scar bisects her eye and the markings at the side of her face remain. 

“Thank you, huntress. I’m Weiss, this is my older sister, Winter, and our younger brother Whitley.” She offers her nad with a soft smile and Ruby feels her heart flip in her chest. The fading light of her lantern casts arching shadows across pale skin and snowy silver hair. “We are in your debt.” 

“I should be thanking you!” Ruby cheers, holding tightly on to Weiss’ hand. “I might have died without you!” 

The former wolf blushes, looking away with a scoff. “Yes well… I felt you were trustworthy.” Her sibling’s exchange looks as Winter smiles softly. 

“Weiss, why don’t you travel with the huntress to give the good news. Whitley and I will bring a peace offering soon.”

“Preposterous!” Weiss snaps but doesn’t let go of the warm tan hand in hers. “I can hunt with you and we can all go together.”

“I wouldn’t mind the company.” Ruby squeaks, shuffling her feet where she stands. 

With another flush Weiss’s mouth opens and closes. She looks away and huffs, “ _ Fine _ . Can’t have you dying on your way back can we?”

Winter laughs as she watches her sister storm off, huntress tugged along behind her. “No, we can’t have that. 


	86. Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Blue  
> Writer: bemse  
> Link to Author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bemse  
> A/N: part of my YouTuber!Ruby AU. Check out my Tumblr @yeehawsenpai for the full collection

It was almost like they had the key to the apartment. Blake and Yang just barged in; Ruby opened the door wider for them. The blonde held the two carriers like dumbbells. Blake came in with Leo in hand, and it all moved so fast.

“Where’s your washroom?” Blake suddenly asked her.

She laid her book down on her chest and peeked in front of her. “Down the hall, on your right.” She quickly thanked her and was out of her hair like a ninja.

Yang lectured Ruby about baby care. Her twins were just fresh out of the womb, and to Weiss, they still looked all lumpy and soft. “… If it smells, change them. Let them sleep, that’s all they ever really do, honestly. Unless they cry, then feed them. My tiddy milk is in there—”

“Oh my God,” Ruby groans, “can you not say ‘tiddy milk?’”

“You sound like my doctor: not fun. Dr. Not Fun—”

“Whatever,” she scoffs.

“Ruby. Seriously. I trust you more than Weiss”—she looks over at her on the couch—“no offense, Weiss”—she looks back at Ruby—“to look after my kids.” 

“What about Leo?”

“Leo? Pfffft.” She waves a dismissive hand. “He’s a lost cause.”

“Hey!” The small boy yelled from the kitchen table. He had an activity book and a toy with him. “I might not know what that means! But it hurt my feelings!”

Yang turned her head to him. “I’m sorry buddy, I was just kidding! I love you!” She turned back to Ruby. “Weiss can handle Leo. It’s fine. What’s not fine—and I’m letting you know now—is how that boy can’t aim. So look for that when he uses the toilet…”

“Whatcha reading?” a nearby voice spooked Weiss. She almost cursed—until she realized she was in the presence of children. It was Blake.

“Uhh.  _ A Clash of Kings _ . George R.R. Martin.”

“Hm.” She crossed her arms, “I didn’t know you liked fantasy…”

“It was Ruby. She made me watch the TV show, and wants to catch up so she can talk about it—”

“I wanna see where they mess up!” Ruby overheard their conversation and interjected herself in.

She rolled her eyes and half-looked at her, “I know, sweetie!” 

“Yo! Are you even listening to me?” Yang asked Ruby, off Weiss’s view.

She quickly glanced back at Blake, who just wiped away a smirk off her lips. 

Weiss didn’t know a lot about the brunette. She knew, from their wedding, that Ruby was present at their first meeting. It was at the campus library. Blake walked over to Ruby, who she shared a class with… maybe English—and Yang had this dopey look the whole time.

To Weiss—and anyone with eyes—it was love at first sight. 

Ruby also told Weiss that she babysat Blake’s son when those two went on dates. The four of them celebrated last Christmas together, and that was when the topic of children was brought up. She became tense, and the thought of a family of her own stressed her out. 

That complicated their relationship. But if there was one thing Weiss learned about conflict in relationships… it was normal. They couldn’t be in the honeymoon phase for the entirety of their time together. They were bound to disagree. They grew up differently. They have different lifestyles, for the most part. But they worked through everything.

“How old is he?” Weiss asked Blake, who decided to sit on the couch’s armrest, opposite of where Weiss lounged.

She turned to ask him, “Leo, how old are you, bud?”

“I’m 6!” the boy proudly answered.

“He’s 6.” And Blake was 25. They were the same age.

Weiss loved to tease Ruby that she was the same age as her sister, and she was practically dating her sister.  _ “Ew! Stop!” _ her girlfriend would gag, making Weiss giggle. 

Yang still grilled Ruby about who knows what at this point. She overheard Ruby mention something about house-hunting, which was why Blake and Yang were there in the first place. Their family was growing, so Blake’s two-bedroom apartment didn’t have room for that growth. They hoped a house would fit them fine… even though money was pretty tight for them.

“You seem awfully calm.”  _ Compared to Yang _ , Weiss thought.

“One of us has to be.” True. She checked the time on her phone. “Speaking of…,” she slid off the couch, “...baby, we have to go.” She took her wife by the sleeve of her pantsuit toward the door. Before they left, Blake knelt in front of her son, “Leo, give mommy a kiss.” The little boy did so on Blake’s cheek. “I love you, bye.”

“I love you!” he screeched. Leo went over to Yang and hugged her. She tousled his hair. “I love you!” he said, with a gentler scream.

“Love you, too.” Blake was really dragging her now, kissing their babies’ heads on their way out, “If any of them shit on the floor,” she threatened Ruby, “it’s your fault.”

The door was firmly shut.

A piercing shriek shattered Weiss’s eardrums. “Mommies are gone!” He let another one out with no warning.

“Leo! Buddy! What did we say about inside voices?” 

He slapped his hands over his mouth, and a muffled yell tried to come out of him.

“Better,” Ruby giggled. She returned to her work on the kitchen table. Books, papers, and her laptop out meant business. The little boy followed her, and he settled in the other chair. Weiss observed curiously. “You can take care of yourself, bud?”

“Yup.” He nodded once.

“Good.” She slipped on her headphones, and she resumed her work.

Weiss decided to return reading, too.

Literally one second later passed before he asked, “Whatcha doing?” the way little kids ask.

She looked over, and he was all over Ruby’s personal space. But she didn’t mind. Ruby slid off her headphones, and she looked at him. “I’m writing.”

He scooted closer. “Writing what?”

She followed suit. “My master’s thesis.”

“What’s that?”

Ruby took a deep breath. “It’s really, really, really, really, really, really, really”—Leo giggled—“really, really, really, really, really, really, really boring homework.”

“That’s no fun!” he complained.

“It isn’t,” she agreed.

Leo settled back in his chair. “Can I help?”

“Sure!” Ruby handed him a sheet of paper. “Read that for me.”

He accepted the paper, started reading, and he butchered every other word he saw. He really tried to read a college-level article. Ruby sent him encouraging words as he read. Weiss found it cute. Leo gave up after a few sentences. 

“That’s hard,” he told Ruby.

“I know.” She left her chair to check on her other nephews. Leo was like a baby duck to Ruby and followed her everywhere. “Do you know who’s who?” she asked him.

He stood on his tippy-toes to look at them. “Mhm. That’s Shadow. That’s Spark.” From the hospital visit, Weiss remembered they named the twins after their grandfathers. To keep it simple and to avoid confusion, they nicknamed Ghira: Shadow and Taiyang: Spark.

“Are you sure?” Leo snapped his head at her. Weiss quietly giggled to herself. It was like Ruby broke him. 

“Yes,” he answered confidently. 

“Okay.” She quickly tucked them in. “Good job.”

Ruby returned to writing. So Weiss settled back to her book. She didn’t hear Leo for a while, so she assumed he was occupying himself plenty.

“I’m bored.” She thought wrong.

“Okay,” she heard Ruby voice, “go bother Weiss.”

She didn’t turn her head until he greeted her, “Hi!”

For the fourth time that afternoon, she dropped her book down. “Hi!”

“Are you White?” He mispronounced her name. Thinking back, they haven’t interacted much. So this was probably their first proper introduction.

“It’s pronounced ‘Weiss.’ And yes, that’s me.” She lifted her glasses over her head. Leo sat on the empty cushion of the couch.

He looked back at Ruby. Then back at her. “Are you Aunt Ruby’s friend?”

“Yes. I am.”

“Really?” he asked suspiciously. He squints his eyes. “What’s Aunt Ruby’s favorite color?”

Weiss was taken aback. They’ve known each other for well over a year, and she didn’t know Ruby’s favorite color. She knew plenty of other things about Ruby. She took a wild guess, judging by her clothing style, “Is it black?”

He made an angry buzzing noise; apparently, that wasn’t the right answer. “No!” he laughed. “What kind of friend doesn’t know your favorite color???”

“Yeah, Weiss, what kind of friend are you?” Ruby played along. 

“Well, I’m sorry,” she said defensively. “Do you know Ruby’s favorite color, Leo?”

“Yeah! It’s… wait a minute!” He forced his hands over his mouth, and he laughed into them. He quickly became playfully mad. “You trick me! For telling Aunt Ruby’s favorite color!”

Ruby gasped dramatically. 

“Well, how would I know that you’re really Ruby’s friend?” Weiss challenged him.

He cooled down and looked at her. Then he concentrated… hard. Leo balled his fist, and his knuckles hit against his temple. 

“You can tell her my favorite color, Leo,” Ruby yelled from the table.

“Okay!” he happily agreed. “It’s blue!” he squealed. 

“Blue?” Weiss raised an eyebrow. “Really?” She looked over at Ruby, with a hint of pink across her face. Her girlfriend avoided her gaze, clearly flustered; it was adorable. She turned back to Leo. “Can you tell me your favorite color, Leo?”

“Okay!” His smile on his face indicated he was enjoying himself. “It’s pink!”

“Pink?” she asked him. “Why pink?”

“‘Cause, it’s a mix of two colors!” 

“Interesting…,” she felt a smile on herself, “and what are those two colors?”

“Red. And…” he thought hard about it, “white.”

“Yeah. Good job! And pink is a very pretty color by the way.” He flashed a toothy smile at Weiss.

“So what’s your favorite color?” Leo asked her.

Weiss lowered her voice to ask, “If I tell you my favorite color… does that make us friends?” He furiously nodded. “Okay, c’mere.” She made room for him on the couch. Weiss looked over his shoulder, making sure Ruby was not eavesdropping on them. And whispered in his ear, “It’s red.” He went wide-eyed, and his hands flew over his mouth. He burst into a giggle fit. And Weiss echoed his laughter.

Ruby peered over at them. “What did you tell him?”

She raised a finger over her lips. He mirrors her. “It’s a secret.” He giggled again.


	87. Masks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Masks  
> Writer: DorkSeverus04  
> Link to author:   
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/DorkSeverus04  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/~dorkysev  
> Summary: “I’m fine.” is the most common way to mask your problems. Thankfully, Weiss knows that too well and confronts Ruby about it.

Weiss noticed a change in Ruby ever since reuniting with her in Mistral. It was subtle, but she still noticed it. 

Whenever Ruby smiled, it wasn’t as bright as it used to be. She seemed to have toughened up, but at the same time, it worried her.

Among the changes that Weiss noticed in Ruby was the fact that Ruby seemed more withdrawn than she did back at Beacon. Or the fact that whenever they ate, Ruby didn't eat as much as she used to. It was subtle enough to go unnoticed by the others, since she ate with as much gusto as Yang and Nora, but the amount was noticeably less.

Weiss thought that Ruby would come to her, since it’s what they always did as partners before at Beacon, but as time went on, it seemed like Ruby came to her less and less often, unless it was about battle strategies or how to improve their team attacks.

Now, they were in Atlas, attending a masquerade party as a mission to find some Grimm dealings, and Ruby still hasn't said anything to her.

Sighing to herself, she felt like a failure of a partner. Weiss did her best to pay attention to this mission, though internally, she was frowning at the thought that she wasn’t good enough for Ruby. The ex-heiress glanced around to see where her partner was and panicked for a moment when she didn’t see her. Excusing herself from a group of men that was talking to her, she walked towards the bathroom to take off her mask for a moment to wash her face and calm herself down.  _ 'Everything will be alright.' _

Weiss dried her face and made sure that her white wolf mask was on properly before straightening her clothes. She walked towards the balcony and sighed in relief at seeing Ruby outside, drinking some juice while staring at the ground below them.

Weiss walked next to her and looked down as well, staying quiet in hopes that Ruby would break the silence.

“Weiss.” The ex-heiress turned to see a matching black wolf mask looking at her. “Weiss, what’s wrong? Is there something wrong with the mission?”

“It’s nothing.” Weiss gave a curt reply and looked back down at the ground, seeing it starting to snow. She felt Ruby slipping her hand into her own to give it a comforting squeeze. Sighing again, she glanced at Ruby. "We should be focusing on the mission."

Weiss saw a flash of hurt from Ruby's eyes for a second before the brunette moved close. "I'm worried about you."

"Me?" Weiss almost laughed and shook her head. "I'm fine. Though I wouldn’t like to throw around my name like this."

Ruby didn't seem to believe that she was fine, and moved Weiss so they were facing each other. "Weiss, I-I know that I haven't been a great friend and all since we got to Atlas, but we're still friends… right?"

Weiss blinked. Was Ruby finally opening up to her? "We're best friends." 

That brought a smile to Ruby's face, and there was a happy sparkle within her silver eyes. At least for a moment. "And since we're best friends, we can tell each other anything!"

_ 'If we're best friends, why won't you talk to me like we used to?'  _ Weiss frowned and looked away. "I suppose so."

"Weiss, what's wrong?" Ruby frowned. "You… I know that we're in Atlas and I haven't really kept my promise of not leaving your side. I know that I'm a horrible lea-"

"No. You are not. I just… have a lot on my mind right now." Weiss cut her off and shook her head.

Ruby frowned, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated. With a sigh, she looked down at their hands. 

Weiss looked down as well, seeing how Ruby moved a bit and intertwined their hands together. 

Both were silent for a while until Weiss decided to speak up.

"Ruby." Silver eyes met with blue and Weiss saw how dull they'd gotten since they met. "It's ok. To not be ok."

"I know…" Ruby bit her lip and broke eye contact. "But I'm the leader. I should-"

"Let me help lessen your burden. We're friends. Partners." Weiss squeezed Ruby's hand to emphasize that she wasn't alone. "You're a great leader, but you forget to take care of yourself. You dolt."

Ruby smiled and leaned her head onto Weiss' shoulder. "That's why I have you." She then closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth that was shared between them.

"I'll always be there for you." Weiss promised and nuzzled against her head.  _ 'Like you've always been there for me.' _

The brunette smiled and buried her head onto Weiss' shoulder. "...-ove yo-..." 

Weiss' eyes widened. She wrapped an arm around her shoulder to keep her close, rubbing her back in soothing circles. "Love you too, dolt. I'm not looking. So you can take off that brave mask you're putting on." She mumbled the last part into Ruby's hair.

"Weiss… I…" Ruby sniffed, wrapping her arms around Weiss.

"Thank me later when this is over." Weiss kissed her head.

Ruby nodded as she cried silently within Weiss' arms, relaxing within her embrace. They stood like that for a few more minutes before Weiss saw two people in black down below.

“Ruby.” Weiss reluctantly snapped her partner out of it, and already missed holding onto Ruby as she pulled away. “There.”

Ruby looked down as well and pulled out her scroll to take some pictures. “We'll need to be absolutely sure and gather more evidence. Can you watch my back?”

“Of course.”  _ 'I want to keep you safe from everything.'  _ Weiss nodded and kissed Ruby’s forehead. “I really did mean it. You don’t have to put on that brave mask around me.”  _ 'I love you too much to watch you suffer alone.' _

Ruby blinked then kissed Weiss on the lips. They stayed like that for a moment before pulling away. “Same to you too. Now come on, we have a mission to finish.”

Weiss blushed at the kiss, then smiled. It was a start, but at least now she knew that they wouldn’t have to mask their emotions around each other anymore. 


	88. Pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Pizza  
> Author: GeneralDelF  
> Link to author: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeneralDelF/pseuds/GeneralDelF  
> Summary: Weiss was nervous, this would be her first, and hopefully last, job interview. She wasn't nervous from the interview itself. She had extraordinary social skills back from when she was working for her father… Who will be leading the interview was what made Weiss nervous.

“Why did you choose this place?” Ruby asked Weiss, looking at a paper in front of her.

“Well, I have been here quite a few times and I liked it here and my friend Blake works here. It's also near my apartment.” Weiss was deeply ashamed of herself, to lie like this. Not in everything, Blake indeed worked here, and it was close to her apartment, but the reason she wanted this place… was right in front of her.

“Well, everything looks great. Last question, have you ever made a pizza? I mean, a fresh one.”

“O-Of course I did, why would I want to work here if I didn’t know how to make a pizza?” Weiss said with a smile, a very fake smile.

“Look, it’s ok if you didn’t. I can give you a few lessons.” Weiss sighed, seems like Ruby saw behind her lie, not like it was exactly hard.

“I… admit, I was afraid you would not hire me because of that.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about telling you, you’re hired.”

“W-What, really?!”

“Yeah, uhh… do you have time tomorrow?” Ruby asked with a smile.

“Yes, why?”

“Well, tomorrow’s Thursday, which means that there will not be as many people as on weekends. I thought you can come over to my place and I can teach you how to pizza a pizza.” Ruby said with a blush creeping on her cheeks, Weiss wouldn’t notice it though, she had a hard time fighting her own.

“That… sounds great. If you give me your address I can come whenever it’s good for you.” Ruby took a piece of paper and a pen.

“In that case, at 6 o’clock, my apartment. I’ll be waiting.” Was Ruby flirting or Weiss just misunderstood the signals? She couldn’t tell. After goodbyes, Weiss left the building, squealing like a little girl.

“So, you got the job?” Blake appeared behind Weiss, nearly giving her a heart attack.

“Oh, Blake… yeah, and on top of that, Ruby invited me over to her tomorrow. We will be making pizza. I will come over to Ruby’s house, where we will be completely alone, close to each other, and perhaps, Ruby would help me kneed the dough while standing behind me… her hands will slip under my apron…” Blake watched as Weiss got lost in her dirty thoughts to the point where she started drooling.

“Earth to Weiss. Are you here?” Blake snapped her fingers in front of Weiss’ face, waking her up from her Ruby-brought trance.

“Yeah, of course. Oh god, did I say that out loud?”

“Not all, I was fortunate enough to not hear anything past her slipping her hands under your apron. Gods, you changed so much in just a few months.” Blake said, thinking a few months back when Weiss met Ruby for the first time, from that point onward, it just went downhill.

“I don’t need to listen to this again. A few months ago is not now; don’t act like you never do these kinds of things. Should I remind you the-” “No, you don’t have to. I am just saying to start controlling yourself. I don’t think you would be very glad if this dreaming of yours made Ruby think you’re weird and make her… not slip her hands under your apron~.”

“Shut up! That will not happen. I will let you know I can control myself, I simply don’t choose to do so when I am alone or with you.” 

"You are such a bottom, just tell her already." Blake looked at her clock and sighed.

"I will tell her soon… maybe." Weiss ignored Blake's comment… mainly because she was right. She was almost powerless when next to Ruby.

“Sure… Look, I am on my lunch break right now, so I should go eat my lunch. See you later.”

* * *

Weiss knocked on the door, she could hear the footsteps on the other side, and when the door opened, it was a sight to behold.

“W-Weiss? What are you doing here?” Ruby tiredly asked, still in her pajamas.  _ She’s so cute when she’s sleepy. _

“You said at 6 o’clock, so I am here.” Ruby squinted to look at the clock.

“I meant… 6 pm… in 12 hours." 

"O-Oh, I-I am sorry, I thought that you would be in the pizzeria at that time. You always take afternoon shifts." 

"Well, I have a day off today… wait, how do you know what shifts I am taking?"  _ Oh fuck. _ Weiss knew it for a simple reason, she watched Ruby all the time, she was obsessed with Ruby. Was she being creepy? Probably. She went as far as to quit her job because of a  _ chance _ she  _ might _ get a job in Ruby's pizzeria. With that decision, well… her father disowned her. Not like Weiss cared. In fact, it was freeing. And now, there was no one who could stop her from marrying Ruby… except for Ruby herself, of course. After all, she wasn't sure if Ruby even thought of her as a friend.

"Well… Blake told me. Anyway, I'll come back later."

"Nonsense. You're already here, at least we have a lot of time. Come in." Ruby smiled at Weiss, it was that smile that ruined Weiss' life, she wasn't complaining though. If she could see the smile every day, that would be better than heaven.

"So… did you have breakfast?" Ruby asked.

"No, it was a little too early for breakfast when I left my apartment." It wasn't, but Weiss hoped that maybe she could have had breakfast with Ruby.

"I see, well… I don't have much here, but if cereal is enough I can invite you."

"Cereal would be just fine." Weiss never liked sweet… after she met Ruby, she started appreciating sweet things… though Ruby's cereal was simply too sweet. That cereal probably had just two ingredients, sugar and diabetes… somehow though, she chewed everything, not to cause any inconveniences to Ruby and, mainly, to not let Ruby think anything bad of her.

"Thank you for the breakfast. Here, let me do the dishes." Weiss said, but before she could take the bowls, Ruby snatched them and turned towards the kitchen.

"That's alright I-" Ruby slipped on a magazine she had lying on the ground. She dropped the bowls and only by a little bit was she saved from opening her head on her board. When she looked up, she saw Weiss, holding her around the waist, with a worried expression.

"Are you alright?" She asked, Ruby could hear the care in Weiss' voice.

"Y-Yeah, thanks. I really should clean more often or it just might kill me." Ruby laughed, waiting… that's when Weiss realized they had yet to move.

"O-Oh, sorry." Weiss helped Ruby back on her feet.

"That's ok… So… ready for the pizza?"

"Yes." After Ruby changed into something less… sleep-attire-y, Ruby took Weiss to the kitchen where a blasphemous amount of cheese and marinara waited. 

"Do you expect me to fail that much?" It took a long time to learn to talk with Ruby without stuttering nervously, one of her tactics was to try to say a joke whenever she was getting nervous. Ruby's laugh both calmed her down and sent her to cloud nine. Just like now, when Ruby lightly laughed at the joke… though, even if Weiss wasn't an expert, she knew that the joke wasn't actually that good, she hasn't expected even a smile… but no matter how bad her jokes were, Ruby liked them, and that was good enough for her.

"Well, I took it from the pizzeria and it was just easier to take the whole bucket and then return it. Now then, today we will be making just Margherita and Ice since… they're the base for almost all other pizzas… except for a few exceptions." Ice… sometimes Weiss wondered if it was named like that after her. It was essentially just an ordinary pizza but instead of the usual marinara, a cream was used as a base instead. It was something Weiss requested if it could be done as she remembered eating it in one restaurant in Atlas, a long time ago, and she was quite fond of it. A few weeks later cream base was added as an option to all pizzas and since the basic cream pizza with cheese had no name, Ruby named it Ice.

"May I ask… why did you name it Ice?"

"Well… it's white like snow… you said you know it from Atlas… so I kinda made a snowy pun on your name…" Ruby grinned. So… it was named after her… That was amazing! Weiss didn't mind the reason, beggars can't be choosers.

"Huh, well, father was wrong." Weiss thought… wait… she said that out loud!

"Your dad? Why was he wrong?" Oh, shoot! Weiss never told Ruby much about her family, not like it even came as a subject, their conversations were mostly pretty short… but now she had to tell Ruby something.

"Well… my father is a rich man… and a terrible person. I kinda sent him to… places noble people shouldn't be talking about and he disowned me. Told me that with my attitude I won't get even a salt shaker named after me. I would say though that a pizza is better than a salt shaker." Weiss saw the expression on Ruby's face… pity. Weiss hated when people pitied her, mainly, because there was no reason. She was happy… but… maybe she could get a hug out of this… for that though she would have to sink really deep and be really desperate.

"Oh… I didn't know that. Are you ok? Wanna hug? Yang says hugs always make you feel better… well, not you in particular but… you know what I mean." Was she desperate?

"... I am fine, I am happy that it happened, I am free… I would still accept the hug though." She was, but she still had at least some sense of self-respect and honesty. And it seemed that she was rewarded for it, as Ruby hugged her without thinking. It was a second hug she had received from Ruby. She got the first one a few months ago when Blake mentioned she had a birthday. As soon as she set a foot in the pizzeria, she got hugged… this was the best feeling in the world. It lasted a while before Ruby released her again with a reasuring smile, and Weiss realized she couldn't live without Ruby in her life… Without her, the world seemed so dull, sad, and cold.

"Hope it made you feel better. Now, let's roll some dough." That was what Weiss was waiting for, there were always intimate moments while making dough in romance books and shows, why couldn't it be like that in real life too?

Under Ruby's lead, Weiss mixed the ingredients right and started kneading the mix. She wasn't trying as hard as she could in hopes of getting assisted from Ruby but also didn't want to appear completely hopeless. And like a charm, Weiss felt Ruby pressing against her back and taking her hands in her own to lead Weiss, all while she had her head placed on Weiss' shoulder. If she were to lose a leg right now, she probably wouldn't notice. For once, her plans actually worked.

"Don't be afraid to use more strength into it, it's not gonna bite you." Weiss produced a weird sound slightly resembling laughter before cursing herself. Ruby was so close she couldn't control herself.

"Your laughter is cute… just like the rest of you…" Ruby whispered in Weiss' ear, and a shiver ran down her spine. Ruby thought that she was cute? Now would be the best time to tell her.

"Ruby, I… thank you." _ God damn coward!  _ No, Weiss couldn't leave it like that.

"No prob-"

"Actually, that's not what I wanted to say… I… like you… a lot..." Weiss closed her eyes and silently prayed to all divines. She then felt as the hands that were still holding hers enveloped around her torso. She opened her eyes and looked at her left shoulder where Ruby's head resided and was very nicely surprised by the lips that Ruby pressed against hers.

"R-Ruby?" When Weiss called on Ruby in surprise after their lips parted, Ruby let go of her.

"You didn't mean it that way?! Cuz I thought when you said 'like a lot' you meant like… that. I-I am sor-" Ruby's mumbling was cut short by Weiss, or, more accurately, by the kiss Weiss initiated. This one was longer, more sure, more explorative, searching for the boundaries. It was all Weiss wanted it to be like. It was funny that a year ago she would order a pizza just if there was nothing else available… Now… it was the best food in the world, after all, thanks to pizza (and Blake) Weiss stumbled upon a girl that was now the love of her life.


	89. Frenemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Frenemies  
> Writer: Winter1112  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter1112  
> Summary: Lieutenant Weiss Schnee of the IMC is having a bad day. A very bad day. One made all the worse when the Reaper of the Militia captures her after a close escape...  
> A/N: A new adventure awaits our favorite White Rose couple, save this time in the Titanfall universe!

Weiss Schnee considers herself a patient woman. She had to have the patience of a saint to survive the IMC's officer's training school. She needed even more patience to make it through Titan training and be assigned to a front line unit. Of course, as a Schnee, as well as the younger sister of the legendary Winter Schnee, as well as the twin sister of a traitor, she had a lot of expectations. A lot riding on her choices and decisions.

Her first choice was of course questioned when she accepted a front line assignment. Despite her high scores in OCS as well as Titan training, she failed to truly establish a excellent rapport with an established core. Of course her training officer, an obnoxious bitch named Emerald Sustrai, couldn't help but point out that Winter and even Willow both had no problems bonding with their own Titans to spectacular degrees. She even had the nerve to point out that she never once cracked the top ten in the gauntlet, and that both her sisters still hold the numbers two and three slots by mere seconds behind the frontrunner Kublin Blisk.

Weiss took that as her first challenge.

Her second challenge was being snubbed by General Marder himself for any kind of advanced training or assignments. Apparently, Marder still believes that Jacques Schnee slighted him years ago when they both pursued her mother, Adaliz. As a result, Weiss finds herself in an exile of sorts due to the fact that she neither cleared the top ten like her sisters, or bonded fully with a core.

Weiss enjoys a good challenge, especially a pair of them.

The first challenge was simple enough to overcome. She simply accepted a brand new Core that can grow and learn from her and her habits. And hopefully it won't develop an annoying personality like Winter's Frost or Willow's Shadow. That she simply will not tolerate. So she simply dubbed her Titan Myrtenaster and continued on her way. 

The second problem was also easily solved with a firm, no nonsense work ethic and strict training regime. She maintains herself in a peak physical condition at all times that unfortunately does make her as thin as a rail, but wiry and surprisingly strong. She has even managed to finally crack the top ten, as well as taken the fifth overall highest score. Although she is having a hard time besting Ruby Rose, once one of the IMC's best pilots for her number four spot. But she will break that record one day and finally challenge her sisters and even Blisk himself.

Then the upper echelons will have no choice but to admit that Weiss is the best of the Schnee sisters.

But all of this was before the disaster that was Typhon, before her cursed rival Ruby betrayed Marder and aided Jack Cooper along with her own twin sister in insuring the destruction of the Ark Device. Marder's folly as it's now called, almost ruined the scientist and General and caused the upper brass to remove him from command. He languished within an IMC controlled facility deep within the capital, all but forgotten for several long years...

That is until he unveiled the Deucalion. 

The massive experimental battle cruiser cost billions to create, and is packed full of experimental weapons as well as tech. It is also packed full of all sorts of Marder's sick and twisted experiments that push the envelope of the humane and inhumane. And in several sobering cases, destroyed it.

That is the situation Weiss and Winter both found themselves when they reported for duty to General Marder personally. Weiss was horrified, Winter was stoic, and both sisters firmly started wishing that same day that they had never striven for the excellence they had both achieved in their careers. 

Weiss hasn't seen Winter since that day. Marder himself chose her for some kind of Special Project. One that meant that she was kept separate from the rest of the crew, as well as her herself. She keeps repeating to herself constantly that the rumors she herself has heard about the dreaded Reaper of the Frontier are false. That Winter is just involved in some kind of special training to help counter the growing Militia threat. But Weiss has seen for herself the twisted results of Marder's experiments.

Weiss Schnee has accepted the fact that Winter Schnee is doomed, all for their father's supposed sins against the madman.

And now? Now Weiss finds herself embroiled in the latest front in the war. The Colonial Militia has managed to push all the way to Angel City itself. To her home world, deep within IMC controlled territory. And she has no doubt who led them here: Willow Noir Schnee, her traitorous twin sister. No doubt, Willow sold them the information to prove her worth to them. She's probably even sold herself to one of the inbred colonists like a common farmer's daughter.

But she is nothing like Willow. In fact, the only thing the twins have in common is that they are both Titan pilots. Willow Schnee, in Weiss's opinion at least, is a lazy good for nothing who traded their family honor to fight for a hopeless cause. How dare she?! Typhon is solely Marder's fault, no one else's. So what if he was building some kind of super weapon? It would have finally brought this destructive war to an end, and taught the colonists to respect their betters at last. But Willow, being the obvious defect that she is, what with her brilliant red eyes instead of the Schnee crystal blue, claimed that she would no longer serve a government that could condone mass murder on such a massive scale.

A part of her, albeit a small part, misses her twin sister very much. Willow understood her better than she understood herself sometimes, and more than once stepped out of Weiss's way so she could continue her climb to be the best. It's why her betrayal hurt so much. It was almost like a knife to her heart. But she has her career to focus on, and that eases her secret pain.

Weiss especially already considers herself an excellent soldier, which has proven to be an excellent thing in the long run as Marder has steadily lost ground since the fighting began just two weeks before. Even James Ironwood, the commanding officer of the IMC's defense forces has already added another glowing letter of commendation for her already impressive record after driving off a large force of Militia troops from one of the city's largest power plants. Weiss now firmly believes that she has what it takes to step up and lead the charge to drive the stupid militia from her home.

And if she plays her cards right, she may even be able to garner a major promotion from all of this. And General Weiss Schnee sounds perfect to her. As long as she keeps coming up with excellent ideas and strategies to deal with these dolts that think they can sully her homeworld.

But in hindsight, challenging her twin and her upgraded Ronin Prime in nothing but her own stock Ronin was not one of her better ideas. Especially since Willow wasn't alone, but had backup in the form of a legendary Legion Prime named Mama, and her equally legendary pilot Sarah Bogard. To be honest, Sarah and Mama were too busy demolishing her small squad of supposedly highly trained IMC pilots to really worry about helping Willow. And Willow certainly had very few issues in destroying her Ronin's buster sword with a well placed strike from her own Titan's powerful weapon. But one lesson she always scoffed about from Emerald suddenly struck home in that very moment.

Discretion is the better part of valor. Or as she preferred to put it, running away is a great way to see tomorrow. Using a close quarters blast from her shotgun, she managed to throw enough dust and dirt into the air to haul ass and escape. But of course, it wasn't a clean getaway. Nooooooooooo, she just had to attract the attention of a nearby Crow dropship, who no doubt called in her position and the direction she is fleeing in to the militia's central command.

Which is how she now finds herself on the run from a persistent, but familiar Northstar Prime that seems to move faster than any self respecting flight capable Titan should. Fortunately, she managed to evade the surprisingly accurate gunfire while repeating her dust and dirt trick several more times, until she finally makes her way into a dense forest at the edge of the combat zone. Moving swiftly, she even managed to find a small cavern in which to hide her Ronin, who's white and blue color scheme does stand out a good bit. 

Outwardly, she is calm, cool and collected. This is just a temporary setback. Nothing major, nothing to get upset about. She still has her Ronin's Leadwall shotgun, and she is sure once things die down, she should be able to rejoin the IMC forces at the massive wall that stands between the harbor and lowtown districts and the actual City itself.

Inwardly, she is terrified beyond belief. Willow made quick work of her, despite a perfectly timed and executed Arc Wave that should have bought her more time to sweep around and flank her Shadow easily for a better strike. Instead, she had been shocked by the fact that Willow's Ronin had dodged the hit, and followed it up with a wave of its own so quickly she had barely gotten her buster sword up to defend against it, shattering in the process. And to make things worse, her Titan's core took shrapnel, which means she is on borrowed time before it fails, and she ends up walking out on her own.

Almost as if on comical que, her stupid Titan shuts down, the core auto ejecting as the chassis itself rejects it. Glaring at the stupid thing gives her no comfort as she does her best inwardly to keep her composure. A Schnee does not panic in the face of adversity. No, a Schnee thrives in adversity, grows stronger from it. 

So why does she want to fall to her knees and cry?

* * *

Lieutenant Ruby Rose of the SRS's sixth unit whistles as she and her Northstar Prime, aptly named Penny, sweep over the nearby forest where she lost Willow's supposive twin sister or older sister. According to her fellow Titan pilot, they both pilot similar enough looking Ronins to be indistinguishable from each other. And despite her rank as a Gunnery Sergeant, when Gunny Bogard orders you to follow her girlfriend's sister and bring her back in one piece, even Captain Cooper would obey. 

No one wants to piss off a Titan pilot who lost her arm at the shoulder to a Ronin's Arc Wave, built herself a brand new one with parts from medical along with a hand from a MRVN, and installed it herself without any sort of painkillers. And then returns to the battlefield the next day and racks up several more unassisted kills without her Titan, who was still being repaired. She and Captain Cooper both are a bit scared of the Typhon veteran who she held the line with her and Willow while Cooper made his run for the Ark device.

Granted, Ruby hears the whispers and rumors surrounding Cooper and Bogard. How they have been fast friends since Typhon, and how Bogard was the one that introduced him to Commander Gates of the 6-4 personally. And she isn't a fool either, she knows that it's all true, considering she currently works under the Gunny, despite outranking her. But Ruby also respects the Gunny greatly. She has a great head for spur of the moment wild ideas, is loyal to a fault to everyone under her command, and is a firm supporter of Jack Cooper. All those things Ruby respects greatly. So fuck it if she outranks her, she's reaching the point where she is willing to follow Sarah Bogard into hell, all because the Gunny claims it'll be fun.

_ Pilot Ruby, I think I have something. _ Penny suddenly chimes in. Ruby has to admit, Penny isn't the first name she would have chosen for her Northstar, but they work surprisingly well together ever since she was trained to pilot the giant mechs by the IMC, while following in her own mother's footsteps. Heck, she and Penny both have seen plenty of action Post Typhon, most recently when the Deucalion tried to get the jump on them during a recent aid mission to a nearby world once they had dug in here at Angel City.

Ruby more than earned her Ace designation that day, and her mother, who also defected at the same time she and Willow had, had watched proudly as Captain Cooper himself had pinned her Ace's insignia to her uniform.

Enough, she has a job to do, and no time to keep doing it. The IMC was relying heavily on the last of the Schnee sisters to lead their push, and the Gunny wants whichever one this is caught yesterday. Checking her screens, she clears her throat. “Whatcha got Penny?”

_ I just monitored what I believe to be a Titan's shut down sequence approximately two kilometers northwest of our current position. _ Penny reports calmly. 

“Awesome Penny, that has to be her!” Ruby declares as she retakes manual control and puts the flying Titan into a hover. “Ummmm, anyplace we can land?”

Penny giggles in amusement.  _ Nowhere close enough for me to be of any assistance. _ She chirps.  _ Unfortunately, we will have to land at the edge of the forest, and you will have to walk. _

“How far of a walk are we talking about Penny? I'm pretty sure I'm on the clock here.” Ruby asks as she takes stock of her supplies and weapons. She always has her customized Longbow DMR handy, as well as a CAR her older cousin Yang had decked out for her. And it's not like she won't have Penny nearby to try to keep her out of trouble. 

_ Roughly five klicks. I suggest taking a sleeping bag. _

Nevermind, that's barely even within her railgun's range. “Penny, I hate you sometimes.” Ruby grumbles as she sets down as close as possible to the tree line, in the vain hopes of shaving even a single centimeter off.

_ I love you too, Ruby. Now shoo, you have quite the hike ahead of you. And I suggest walking. I am fairly certain the enemy pilot will be able to tell if you approach via your jump kit. _

Thankfully, Ruby's helmet absorbed the facepalm that no doubt, would have left a sizeable bruise on her forehead as she groans. She can't help that she tinkered with her jumpkit to get more speed out of it. As Yang and Willow both like to say, she and Sarah are two birds of a feather when it comes to tinkering. Grabbing her field pack, weapons, and sleeping bag, Ruby triggers the release for the pilot's compartment. “If you don't hear from me by morning, Penny, raise hell. Ok?”

_ I expect you back in the morning. Rumor has it Marder has released some of his pet cats into the wild. So please be careful. _

Ruby nods as she leaps down and gives the Titan a thumbs up. “You know me!” She replies chipperly as she dashes off into the forest too fast to hear Penny's retort.

_ That's the part that worries me. _

* * *

Weiss sighs as she stares into the flames of her tiny sterno burner as she heats up the container of coffee she always brings with her. Reporting in is dangerous for her right now, since she has no idea if the militia can listen in, so she has to settle for a specialized beacon that hopefully they are homing in on. That is, if they are even looking for her.

“Ahem. Excuse me, but do you mind putting your hands where I can see them Miss Schnee?” Looking up, her eyes widen in shock as she stares at a militia pilot holding a very odd looking Longbow DRM at her. Damn it, either her getaway wasn't as clean as she thought, or this is the Northstar pilot who was determined to catch her earlier.

“Miss Schnee, I may have orders to bring you in, but I will shoot you if you don't put your hands up, now!” The pilot repeats herself. 

Weiss sighs as she slowly raises her hands. “Very well. But at least allow me to get my coffee off the flames.” She replies. For a brief moment, she entertains the thought of throwing the now hot coffee at the other pilot, but decides against it. This is the special blend she pays a small fortune for, and to waste it would be a war crime all it's own in her opinion.

“Fiiiiiine. Get your coffee. Throwing it at me won't do you much good anyway.” The other woman replies as she motions with the sniper rifle.

Weiss moves slowly, taking the container off the sterno and opening it. Taking a small sip, she smiles as she feels that first wave hit her. “So, did I not get away as easily as I thought?”

The pilot shakes her head. “My Northstar caught your Ronin's shutdown.” She replies as she slowly eases herself into a sitting position. “Had to hike it to reach you.”

“I see.” Weiss murmers. Stupid Titan! A core ejection gave away her damned position! Stupid, doltish Titan! “So, what are your plans, Pilot? Am I to be executed on galactic holovid? Made to rot in a cell for the remainder of my days? Or is my sister Willow determined to attempt my redemption?”

The other pilot simply shrugs as she sets her right down. “Beats me. Gunny Bogard told me to fetch, so here I am.” She replies as she removes her helmet and shakes out her hair before looking at her with the most beautiful silver eyes Weiss has ever seen. “When the Gunny says jump, you jump.”

Weiss's breath catches in her throat as she stares at the other woman. In all of her twenty eight years, she's never seen anyone as lovely as the enemy pilot sitting across from her. Never. Not even Blake Belladonna, Willow's now disgraced wingwoman could compare to her. But her train of thought is derailed a bit by the vision of loveliness clearing her throat, as well as a sudden jolt of recognition.

This has to be Ruby Rose, the so called Reaper of the Militia. Damn her horrid luck today!

“Hey, earth to Schnee? I said I would trade you a cookie for a cup of coffee.” 

Weiss blinks before her eyes narrow. “I do have a first name, Pilot.” She growls even as she stares at the cookie in the woman's hand. It is very tempting, especially since she has not eaten since her normal light breakfast of a bagel with barely enough blueberry cream cheese to make it have a taste of some kind. “But I accept your offer.” She replies as she passes the thermos over and accepts the cookie.

“Don't worry, it's not poisoned or anything.” The woman tells her as she takes a sip of the coffee and hums in delight. “Mmmmm, tastes just like my Uncle Alex's blend!” She declares before taking another sip.

“Well I don't know who this Uncle Alex person is, but I pay good money to legally purchase my coffee.” She explains haughtily to this surprisingly foolish little girl of a pilot. So why is she smiling?

“Try the cookie. Tastes great.” She tells her. “And you still haven't told me which Schnee sister you are.”

“Weiss. Weiss Schnee you inbred traitor.” She grumbles back as she takes a bite of the cookie. And then inhales the little circle of heaven. She almost whimpers as the marvelous little confection is gone until the silver eyed woman offers her another.

“Ruby Rose.” She informs her as she smiles at Weiss all but snatching the cookie away. “And actually, I'm a spacer kid. Never even walked on a planet until I joined the IMC. Biggest mistake of my life too."

“Oh.” Mentally, Weiss berates herself. Spacers follow a completely different set of rules than colonists. They keep extremely careful records of births, marriages and even deaths to avoid inbreeding and the like. Through her father's various business interests, she's even met a few ship's captains. They are proud people, spacers, and do not brook insults well. Fortunately, this Ruby Rose doesn't seem to have a stick in her butt about such things. So far anyway.

But considering the dark look that came over her eyes at her own mention of the IMC, perhaps she shouldn't press her luck either?

Ruby nods as she stands. “Welp, looks like we have a long walk ahead of us.” She announces as she puts her helmet back on, hiding those brilliant silver orbs away. “Let's go Miss Schnee. We don't have any time to waste.”

Weiss sighs as she stands, making sure to snuff out the sterno carefully. “Very well. Will I at least be allowed my helmet so I can see where I'm going?”

“Nope.” Ruby replies as she pops the p annoyingly. “Don't need you using the comm to call in your position to anyone.”

Damn, a smart pilot. “At least a side arm?” She can't help but ask in a hopeful tone. She is well aware that Marder has released dozens of those wild cat creatures from Typhon here, and they are breeding rapidly. They are even becoming a problem in Angel City proper now, and both her parents are furious.

“Fine. One side arm. But I hold it, clear? Last thing I need is to lose you to one of those predator things.” The enemy pilot agrees as she keeps her rifle pointed squarely at her.

Weiss nods as she unholsters her B3 Wingman and hands it over grip first. “You and I agree on that much at least. I do not desire to be dinner for one of those beasts.”

Of course, Weiss is inwardly grateful that the dolt didn't actually check her sidearm, since the emergency beacon is shaped like a bullet and hidden within, still sending her position to the IMC. Hopefully they are coming for her.

* * *

“Hold it.” Ruby calls out as her motion detector goes off again. Glancing around, she sighs as she catches sight of a distinctly feline like tail. “We have company.”

Weiss glances around, while moving to a nearby tree for cover. “How many?” She asks as she glances around with those brilliant blue eyes that have fascinated her since they met.

“Two as far as I can tell.” She replies as she pulls the Wingman from her belt and tosses it to her. “Try not to miss, I don't have ammo for that.”

Weiss nods as she pulls the hammer back and holds it at a high ready position. “I am an excellent shot. I can only hope that you are half as competent as I am.”

Ruby smirks as she quickly scales a nearby tree without her jump kit. “Speak for yourself, Weiss. I'm a sniper, it's how I qualified to pilot Northstars.” 

Weiss simply snorts. “Perhaps the colonials do know what they are doing then.” She snarks as she brings the Wingman down and begins to scan her surroundings carefully. “Although this would be easier to do had we brought my helmet, dolt.”

Ruby sighs as she sets up her Longbow DMR and opens the scope. “Nice try, Weiss. And can you please call me Ruby?” She calls out as she links her helmet to the rifle.

“No, dolt.” She replies calmly as she slowly moves back to the tree and puts her back to it. “Because of your overcautious decision, now I am at risk of becoming some damned predator's meal, while you no doubt sit back and laugh as it eats me.”

“Are you really being serious right now, Ice Queen?!” Ruby barely has time to move before the shot barely misses her helmet.

“Never call me that again.” Weiss tells her coldly as she glares at her. “Never, understood?”

Ruby nods as she suddenly raises her sniper rifle and fires a short burst behind her, dropping the predator before it has a chance to leap at the white haired woman's exposed back. “Yep. Gotcha Snowflake.”

Weiss's glare turns glacial as she opens fire once more, this time putting three rounds in the second one's head just as it was about to leap down and attack Ruby. “That is still infinitely better than Ice Queen.”

Ruby nods as she suddenly ejects her magazine and drops the rifle to the ground, while a voice calls out. “The CAR as well.”

Spinning around, Weiss breathes a sigh of relief as she spots the IMC uniformed troopers surrounding them both. Pulling the hammer back on the B3 Wingman, she smirks as she aims it at Ruby. “Drop your helmet, Miss Rose.”

Ruby stifles a groan as she removes her helmet and drops it at Weiss's feet. “I want that back.” She tells the enemy pilot evenly, even though she already hit the dead man switch, deleting the entire helmet's hard drive. Penny is going to go apeshit as soon as she realizes it, and hopefully brings the cavalry with her.

Aaaaaaaaaaand of course the blue eyed woman immediately stomps on it, cracking her visor after repeated stomps. “Bill me.” She retorts as she motions with her B3 Wingman for Ruby to climb down.

“I want receipts for those!” She calls out as she leaps down from the suddenly not so safe tree. She can't help but growl a bit as the stupid IMS riflemen all but manhandle her babies as they retrieve them, but she is shocked as Weiss waves a slip of paper under her nose.

“Your receipt, dolt. Not that it will do you much good.” The blue eyed woman informs her. “As soon as you're debriefed, I will see you hanged for your crimes against the IMC.”

Ruby takes it calmly, a smile on her own face to counter the scowl on Weiss's. “We'll see, Snowflake. We have to get back to the wall first, through some really heavy fighting too. My money's on my own friends finding us first. I'd even bet my last cookie on it.”

Weiss blinks. “A-are you being serious right now?! Look around, this time you are my prisoner! We know this area better than any of you colonial scum!”

Ruby nods solemly. “My last cookie versus our first date.” She counters as her smile widens. “What do you say, Snowflake?”

Weiss stares evenly at her. “Aren't you the confident one?” 

Before Ruby can answer, one of the riflemen looks up from a hand held radar. “Ma'am, we need to depart. We have a group of five Titans entering the forest. One of them is definitely BLP-1124.”

Weiss nods as she catches a pair of manacles thrown to her. To Ruby's surprise, the white haired woman is surprisingly gentle as she restrains her quickly. But it's her whispered words that bring a sparkle to her eyes. 

“You're on.”

* * *

Weiss can't help but feel her eyebrow twitch as she stares at the massive crater cutting her and her impromptu squad off from Lowtown's northern edge. To make things worse, that silver eyed dolt won't shut up!

“So, that date is looking more and more likely, right Snowflake?” Ruby calls out, making a vein start to throb in her forehead. Doing her best to not scream in frustration, she freezes as she realizes that this hole isn't accidental.

“Sergeant? Were you and your men followed?” She asks the closest rifleman to her, a taller young man with blue hair and a set of teeth she wishes to ruin by smashing her Wingman into them.

“We evaded capture ma'am.” He reports as he smiles in what he considers a winning fashion at her. “Granted, we lost Coal, and he was carrying all the explosives.”

Weiss facepalms at that report. “Of course. You lost the one person carrying all the explosives. And I assume it was in this area?” She asks with clenched teeth.

Blue hair nods. “Took a direct hit from a Tone's tracker rifle.” He confirms.

“Hey Snowflake? You can just let me go now. I don't feel really safe travelling with these guys anymore.” Ruby calls out, earning glares from the rest of the IMC squad. 

Unfortunately, Weiss is beginning to agree with her.

“Sergeant, when is the next closest place to cross safely without getting blown up?” Weiss asks as calmly as she can manage, without losing her temper.

But her patience is sorely tested a moment later when the blue haired idiot shrugs. “Beats me, ma'am. I'm a relief trooper from Earth. Barely been on this planet for forty eight hours now.”

“Wow, and they sent these losers out to rescue you Snowflake?” Ruby comments dryly. “I think you may need to reconsider who you keep insulting.”

“Ruby?”

“Yes Weiss?”

“Please stop. I will make it a second date if you shut up for five minutes.” Weiss all but begs the silver eyed woman as she rubs her temples gently, praying that this isn't a migraine starting up. Of course, Ruby being Ruby, starts counting under her breath softly. But it's an improvement over her caustic comments, all of which are proving true of course.

Blue hair and his squad are idiots. And Ruby is right, they might end up getting them both killed at this rate. But she can't help but have a nagging bad feeling that is getting stronger the closer they get to the bunker. She really isn't surprised when Ruby suddenly stands next to her and leans over.

“Hey, Weiss?” She whispers.

“We are in danger, aren't we?” Weiss mumbles back.

Ruby gives her a brief nod. “These guys aren't interested in me at all. Blue hair and red hair both keep saying I'm expendable.”

Weiss curses under her breath. “It explains why they won't allow me a comm either.” She mutters. “I will increase the bet to a dozen cookies versus three dates that they were sent by Marder to retrieve me.”

“What makes you so special?” Ruby asks quietly as she looks at the white haired woman.

“He hates my father.” She admits quietly as Blue hair walks up, Ruby groaning quietly in response.

“Ma'am, we just received word that a Widow dropship is being sent for us. We just need to take out the garbage and stand by for pickup.” He tells her.

Weiss glares at him. “She is not garbage, Sergeant. She is my prisoner, and I have no intentions of being returned to General Marder without her.”

Blue hair smirks. “I have my orders, Lieutenant Schnee. Marder just wants you, not red here.” He informs her as the Widow suddenly appears in the skies over them, Marder's ARES insignia displayed prominently on the underbelly. “Please try not to resist ma'am. I would hate to ruin that beautiful face of yours.”

Weiss glares at him, even as she notices the barrel of Ruby's CAR pointed at her. “How dare you! General Ironwood will hear of this.”

Red hair laughs. “That's going to be a bit hard, carpet muncher.” He sneers. “The General relieved him of duty permanently about three hours ago.”

“That's not good, Weiss.” Ruby mutters as Weiss moves in front of her.

“This is sedition!” Weiss hisses as she shields Ruby. “High Command will not stand for this!” She continues as she feels Ruby grab the keys for her cuffs off her belt. “Marder is acting no better than those damned militia traitors!”

“Be that as it may, our orders are to bring you in, Lieutenant. Now come quietly.” The third man calls out as he brings a Kraber to bear at her. He is taller, with slightly longer hair and a look of hate in his eyes that is firmly directed at her. “Now get on the fucking dropship!”

“DOWN!” Ruby yells as she tosses her pack into the waiting Widow and grabs Weiss, shoving her into the blast hole as she hears an ominous click coming from the silver eyed woman's other hand. 

The dropship explodes in a spectacular fashion, sending a large fireball into the air as well as instantly killing all three of Marder's men. Weiss can hear Ruby screaming in pain, but she herself is too distracted by the searing pain across her left eye to care much for the other woman right now. Laying on the ground in a ball, she does her best to ignore the falling debris, as well as the smells of burning fluids, scorched flesh, and fresh blood. But she definitely feels a pair of hands touching her gently as she can barely hear a voice trying to talk to her.

“Weiss, Weiss we have to go!” Ruby calls out to her, but she can't move. Her face hurts, her head hurts, and she is certain that all the bones in her body are pulped. She feels Ruby's surprisingly warm hands touch her face gently, examining her no doubt destroyed face. “Come on, Snowflake. Definitely gonna have an interesting story for that scar.”

“Leave me alone, dolt! I'm dying! Just let me die in peace.” She moans as she feels the other woman pull her to her feet. 

“Nope. Let's go before their buddies decide to come looking for that Crow.” Ruby tells her sternly as she shoves a weapon in her hands. “And with Ironwood dead and Marder running the show, we're all in deep shit.” She adds as Weiss feels something cool being applied to her face.

“Where did you get medigel?” She whispers as she finally opens her remaining eye and gasps. “Ruby! Your hurt!” She screams as she points to the piece of shrapnel protruding from the other woman's abdomen. 

“Yeah, it kinda tickles a little.” Ruby deadpans as she moves to the side of the crater and starts to climb. “Come on, let's salvage what we can and get the fuck outta here.”

“You need a doctor, Ruby!” Weiss shrieks at her as she tries to follow the best she can while slinging Ruby's CAR onto her back.

“Later Weiss. Right now I need to see if my sweetheart survived, then we need to get lost fast!” Ruby calls back as she turns and helps Weiss finish the climb. “Besides, it's not that deep, it's mostly caught in my armor plate.”

“Then let's pull it out! We certainly can't flee if you have a foot long piece of metal sticking out of you!” Weiss yells as Ruby searches the wreckage.

“Later!” She yells back as she suddenly stoops down with an ah ha! “Found my second best girl!” She declares as she holds up her black and red Longbow-DMR.

Weiss just smirks, despite the desperate situation Ruby went back for her weapon? “That better be one hell of a gun, Rose!”

Ruby smirks as she returns to her and grabs her hand. “Sure is. Especially since she's hiding a couple of nasty surprises.” She replies with a grin as she starts pulling the white haired woman away quickly.

“So, if this is your second best girl, let me guess and say your Titan is your first?”

“Who? Penny? Nah, she's awesome and all, but definitely number three on my list now.” Ruby replies as she keeps them moving quickly on the outskirts of the forest.

“Then who or what is your first?” Weiss asks, genuinely curious.

Ruby smiles as she looks back at her. “You are, Snowflake. If you hadn't cut me loose, I would be dead and you would be heading for Marder's like a twisted trophy.”

Weiss blushes as she tightens her grip on Ruby's warm hand. No one has ever said anything so nice to her before, and she has to admit that it is nice. And the way Ruby keeps looking at her and smiling, it's certainly making her feel good inside.

Perhaps this entire ordeal hasn't actually been too bad after all…..

* * *

"Ok, this should do it!" The Militia pilot declares as she and her IMC counterpart finish blockading the door to the small apartment they have commandeered deep in the Lowtown district. The power is still on here, as well as running water, which is good for Ruby, as her wound needs to be treated as soon as possible.

"I hope so." The white haired pilot replies quietly as she slowly sits down on a nearby bed sitting on cinder blocks. "Can we please take that metal out of your side now?"

"Oh, yeah." She chuckles as she rubs the back of her head, her sweaty hair sticking to her fingerless gloves. "I gotta warn you, Snowflake. All I have on is my jumpsuit and body armor."

"I would imagine that isn't SOP, is it?" Weiss points out with a smirk, getting a shake of the head from her.

"I literally got yanked out of the showers to track you from the air. Willow didn't leave me a choice." The reddish black haired woman admits. "I'm pretty sure everyone got a good look at my goods while she was dragging me to Penny."

Taking note of the look of pure embarrassment on the silver eyed woman's features, Weiss shakes her head. "That does sound like my sister. How… How is she?" She asks as she stands and begins to help Ruby out of her body armor carefully. 

"Scared for you." The Reaper of the Colonial Militia informs her before wincing in pain at the metal pulling at her skin. "Ever since Frost showed up with what was left of Winter, she's been terrified that you're dead or mutated too."

She almost wants to hug the white haired girl as her lip trembles, a look of pure terror in her sky blue eyes. "What did he do to my sister?" 

Ruby shakes her head. "Remember her as she was, Weiss. What was done to her was… inhumane." She stops and looks at her. "I can still hear Willow screaming in my nightmares." She does pull the woman into her arms as she screams in anguish, her fear for her sister turning into grief before her very eyes. Despite the metal still digging into her side, she rocks Weiss gently as she sobs in her pain and loss. She knows the pain of losing a sibling, having lost her own younger sister to that bastard Viper while Robin struggled to repel the 6-4 alongside her unit. She never regretted firing the betraying shot into Viper's cockpit just as the enemy Titan was preparing to rip another arm off of BT. 

She never regretted leaving the IMC behind, alongside her mother and her Uncle Alex, the three of them agreeing that Marder had gone too far.

"Ruby?"

"Yeah, Weiss?"

Both women look into each other's eyes, neither of them missing the sudden spark that comes across them both. "Thank you for saving my life."

"Hey, what are frenemies for, Snowflake?" Ruby replies with a grin. But her grin vanishes a moment later as she howls in pain, Weiss pulling the metal out of her side.

"What was that?!"

"Oh God I'm sooooooorry!"

"We are nowhere near friends, got it?!" Weiss asks demandingly, even as she applies pressure to the wound.

"Fiiiiiine!" She pouts as her own hand joins the white haired woman's, the bleeding soon stopping. "But, you do owe me three dates." She points out with a grin of pleasure.

"And I am a woman of my word." Weiss replies before smiling softly at her. "But, you had best impress me, Dolt."

"I'll even wear heels." She promises…


	90. Calamity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Title: Netting for Beginners  
> Prompt: Calamity  
> Writer: Lemmy  
> Link to Writer: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lemmy_the_Berk  
> Summary: Whilst on holiday in the UK, Ruby drags Weiss out to have a nets session, and tries to get her to have a go with the bat. Things don’t end well. (A story based in my Modern AU)

## 14th June, 2020

It was fair to say that Weiss was jealous of her girlfriend. Not only was she incredibly smart, being two years younger than anyone else at Beacon, yet still being close to the top of their subject in terms of grades; not only was incredibly musically-gifted, having mastered vocals, acoustic guitar and electric guitar; not only was she incredibly pretty, but she was also an incredible sportswoman. The young woman was a fantastic cricketer, often being touted among cricketing circles as being one of England’s best young women's cricketers, and, for Weiss (at least, from the videos Ruby had shown her), it wasn’t hard to see why. 

As a batter, she was as cool as a cucumber, not letting anything phase her, from outstanding deliveries to other teams sledges, but, when the situation called for it, she was unafraid to go for the big shot, and have a little fun with it along the way. However, that wasn’t her greatest strength. That lay in her bowling. She had plenty of pace behind her, and was able to swing the ball seemingly at will. She had the passion to back it up, celebrating every wicket like she’d just won the Ashes. Although she had some rust, from not playing anything competitively for a few months (she’d still managed to requisition one of the baseball team’s batting cages to practice in a few times ), she didn’t look like she’d missed a step. At least, not from Weiss’s perspective.

The alabaster-haired woman watched her girlfriend line herself up in the nets, marking out her stance. Although the UK was still in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic, local cricket clubs had been able to open up their net facilities for practice in small groups. So, while Blake and Yang went out for a day of shopping, Ruby decided to drag Weiss down to have a nets session. While the crimsonette had tried to cajole Weiss into having a bat, but so far the blue-eyed girl hadn’t twigged so far, so Ruby had gotten kitted up to have a bat, while Weiss agreed to give her some throw downs.

Currently, the crimsonette was fully ‘padded-up’ (as she said) in cricket gear, with white pads strapped around her lower legs, a thigh guard secured firmly around her left upper leg, an arm guard on her left arm, and thick gloves on her hands. The only thing she was missing from her person was a helmet. Weiss had originally fretted about this, citing her poor aim, but Ruby had assured her multiple times that she’d be alright. Weiss just hoped that would be the case. Said-woman was stood around 20 meters away from her, with a bag of old cricket balls sat beside her, preparing to feed the ball to Ruby.

‘Make sure to bounce it around here.’ Ruby shouted to her, making a circle with her bat, just out the front and to the left of her (from Weiss’s point of view).

‘Are you sure about this?’ Weiss shouted back, her hand dropping back down. ‘You don’t want any of your friends to bowl to you?’

‘And why, if I’ve bought you down here, would I want to do that?’ Ruby replied, leaning on her bat.

‘I...Wouldn’t they be better suited to test you?’ Weiss said.

‘Well, maybe I don’t want to be tested.’ The crimsonette replied. ‘Maybe, maybe I just want to have a nice afternoon with the missus.’

Weiss blushed. She always did when Ruby called her her ‘missus’, no idea why.

‘Tell you what, if you want to test me then, try and get me out then. Give you a bit of a challenge.’

Weiss, never one to back down from a challenge, nodded. Overhanded, the blue-eyed woman threw the ball down to Ruby. It pitched well to the right of the young woman, who confidently stepped forward and drove the ball into the side of the net, before resetting into her stance. Weiss fed another ball down, which this time pitched a lot straighter, angling in towards Ruby’s legs. Ruby stepped forward again, this time dipping down low, before sweeping the ball away off her legs and into the net. As she stood back up, adjusting the bat as she did, she sent a cheeky grin down to her girlfriend. Weiss just scowled in response. 

‘C’mon Weiss!’ Ruby taunted, knowing that it would fire the white-haired girl up. ‘My Gran could bowl better than you!’

Weiss scowled even harder. Oh, it was on, Ruby thought. It was definitely on now.

* * *

‘Given up?’ Ruby shouted, as she dispatched yet another of Weiss’s feeds into the net with a confident thwack. Weiss rolled her eyes. Ruby had been absolutely ruthless since her challenge was set, dispatching Weiss to all corners of the net without missing a beat whatsoever. The blue-eyed girl had absolutely no chance whatsoever. And now, she was tired of it. Chucking the last of the balls in her hand back into the bag, before going and sitting down next to Ruby’s bag.

Ruby, seeing this, tucked her bat under her arm, stripped off her gloves, and walked over to her.

‘Is everything alright?’ She asked, sitting down next to her girlfriend.

‘I...I’m just tired.’ Weiss replied hesitantly.

‘Seriously, Weiss, what’s up?’ Ruby said, her silver-eyes staring straight into Weiss’s. ‘I’ve been around you enough to know when you’re lying to me.’

‘I’m just...feeling really inadequate as a girlfriend right now.’ Weiss replied.

‘What do you mean?’ Ruby responded, shocked at what Weiss had said.

‘You are one of the most incredible people I know.’ Weiss said, meeting Ruby’s gaze. ‘To do everything you do, having gone through everything you have, it's utterly amazing. And then you have me, who hasn’t done anything but been carried through life by money and influence…How can I compete? How do you see me as someone you’d want to...’ 

A finger against her lips silenced Weiss’s ramblings.

‘Weiss.’ Ruby said, removing her finger. ‘Just shut up.’

The crimsonette closed the distance between the two, placing a light kiss on Weiss’s lips before moving back. 

‘Weiss, never think of yourself as inadequate, or anything like that. You are the one for me. Never forget that.’

Ruby grinned at her. ‘Now, let’s get those thoughts out of your head. Do you want a bat?’

Weiss looked unsure. The white-haired girl had seen Ruby bowl before. That was definitely _not_ something she’d ever want to face

‘Don’t worry.’ The crimsonette said, seeing the concern in Weiss’s eyes. ‘I promise I won’t go full pace at you. Only like 50%.’

‘Fine.’ Weiss said. Her girlfriend’s face lit up in happiness

‘Brilliant! I’ll go see what I can dig up…’ Ruby said delightedly, quickly taking the rest of her kit off before starting to dig through her cricket bag.

 _Oh God_ , Weiss thought. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

Weiss was so not ready for this. She was now padded up in some of Ruby’s spare gear, including a rather uncomfortable groin protector, guarding her ‘nether regions’, as Ruby had put it. Weiss had tried to argue against wearing it, but her girlfriend had given her her sternest look possible, so she’d eventually abated, and put the damn thing ong. The blue-eyed woman was set in rather an awkward stance, with her right foot out front facing towards the side of the net, knees slightly bent, her hands clasped around the slightly too big bat (Weiss wasn’t sure what constituted ‘too big’, it seemed perfectly fine to her), and her head facing towards Ruby.

The crimsonette, meanwhile, was around 8 paces back off the marked out pitch, marking her run up. Finding the spot she wanted, Ruby placed down a small white marker, before rotating her right arm a couple of times, making sure it was ready to go. ‘You ready Weiss?’ She shouted down. Weiss nervously nodded in response.

‘Don’t worry about it. I’m only gonna go slow here.’ She shouted again.

‘Alright, it’s right arm-round, so I’m gonna be coming round the left of the wickets to you.’ As she said this, she started in her run up, slowly jogging down towards the crease and towards Weiss

Weiss felt the panic start to build up. She’d seen stuff before when Ruby’d first told her that she played cricket, on how badly things could go, and, as her girlfriend jogged in, her mind flashed with all the bad possibilities of what could happen. As Ruby reached the apex of her delivery and the ball left her hand, Weiss instinctively slammed her eyes shut. Her feet remained rooted to the spot as she dangled her bat out as a token defense. She felt the ball impact against the bat, a heavy, wooden thud sounding around the nets. 

Slowly opening her eyes, Weiss spotted the marron-coloured ball slowly rolling away. The alabaster-haired girl looked up, and saw her girlfriend with a massive grin plastered across her face. 

‘Well, it was certainly unorthodox,’ Ruby said as she bent down to collect the ball, a small grin appearing on her face. ‘Don’t be afraid of the ball. Remember to move your feet, keep your eyes on the ball all the way onto the bat, and everything will be ok.’

Weiss sent a weak smile back to Ruby, before trying to remember how her girlfriend had set her up previously. Roughly finding the stance she was in before, Weiss looked back up to see Ruby already in position to go again. Letting out a huge breath, trying to calm herself down, Weiss watched as Ruby charged in to bowl again. 

Recalling Ruby’s words in her head, Weiss forced herself to keep her eyes open and on the ball in the silver-eyed woman’s palm, right up until the point of release. This time, Weiss stirred up the courage to move her feet, stepping with her right foot straight in front of her. She tried to swing the heavy willow bat in her hands towards the ball, but, by the time it was in a position to hit the ball, said ball had already flown by, and into the net behind her.

‘Unlucky Weiss!’ Ruby called to her. Weiss looked at her girlfriend, watching as she retrieved the ball, before jogging back up to her bowling mark. The alabaster-haired girl couldn’t help but feel happy seeing her like this. It had been almost a year now since the two had met, two months since they’d started dating, and Ruby had changed so much. From being a quiet, introverted girl, to _this_. Her girlfriend. There wasn’t really a lot more to say.

Weiss, caught in her thoughts, didn’t notice that Ruby had already started her run-in. Likewise, Ruby hadn’t noticed that Weiss was caught up in la-la land. By the time the crimsonette had noticed that Weiss wasn’t concentrating at all, it was too late. The ball was already on its way. Ruby tried to will it away from the oblivious snow-haired woman, but the cricket gods were cruel to her. The ball swung wickedly in towards Weiss. Ruby groaned as the ball struck Weiss in the groin, the blue-eyed woman crumpling immediately.

‘Shit!’ Ruby yelled, immediately rushing to Weiss’s side. Thankful she’d managed to convince her missus to wear a groin protector, she knelt at the injured woman’s side. 

‘Fuck, I’m so sorry Weiss. I didn’t know you…’ Ruby was silenced by a trembling finger being placed on her lips.

‘Home...please.’ Weiss groaned.

* * *

‘Well then!’ Yang exclaimed as she barged into the hotel room the four young women were staying in. Weiss was currently led on the larger sofa in the room, a very noticeable lump down the front of her trousers. Ruby was sitting on the other end of the sofa, massaging Weiss’s feet, a very guilty look plastered on her face. 

‘What on earth happened here?’ Yang asked, seeing the scene unfolding before her.

Weiss just shot her a look that said ‘Don’t ask.’ Yang just chuckled, before turning out of the room, dragging her oblivious girlfriend behind her.

‘Better leave those two alone for a bit’ Yang giggled. Blake just rolled her eyes.


	91. Joy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Joy  
> Writer: Kira_Darkness  
> Link to writer:  
> https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Darkness  
> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4559312/

In a land of vast, undefinable quantities and qualities, people latch to what they understand and keep it safe. To fear the unknown is common, and to keep hold of what is considered precious is nothing to bat an eye at.

To explore that unknown that seeks to remove the familiarity is an affront to everything that people stand for, yet, inexplicably, the adventure that people crave in equal standing.

Ruby Rose, at one point, was unsure about her life. Not physically – she knew what she wanted: to become a Huntress like her mother, and save the world like in the fairy tales she grew up with.

To experience that adventure, however, was a unique avenue in her life, one wrought with darkness that even her silver eyes could not penetrate. Before her lied a path of true uncertainty, the likes of which training did little to prepare her for.

On the other side of the coin lied the qualities that came with being a Huntress – the emotional side that no one seemed keen to mention, and as she sat back and studied her life like a textbook, she understood why.

Not even counting Salem, the lives of Huntsman and Huntress were wrought with terror. It wore on a person, eating them from the inside and out. The drain was powerful, and not many who took up arms lasted long.

Few exceptions laid beneath that rule, and those who would raise their hand will do so with a subtle shake and pitchless eyes staring beyond their years.

Her uncle Qrow was one, her father Taiyang another, each holding in their cracked hearts enough stories for multiple lifetimes. Said stories cannot be spoken without an anchor to keep them grounded – for the former, alcohol, and the latter, his daughters.

Ruby couldn't blame them, as much as she tried to help them. After Salem's eventual demise, it never felt like a victory, and now she finally understood the cost of being a Huntress.

A low creak broke her from the shattered moon. With a grunt, she tried to heft herself up, only for a cold, slender hand to brush across her shoulder, setting her back on the patio swing.

Weiss took her place on Ruby's right, compressing her metallic hand in a gentle squeeze before moving it down her right thigh.

"How's your leg?" Weiss asked, voice like a gentle breeze. It made Ruby take a deep breath, savoring the tone.

"Getting used to it still." She kicked her leg up for emphasis. "Pietro did a really good job though."

A soft smile found its way to Weiss' face. "He did, didn't he?" Nudging over, she laid her head against Ruby's shoulder. Tried to, at least, but Ruby's inhuman growth spurt made it so the crown of Weiss' head just reached the curve of her upper arm.

Undeterred, Ruby raised her arm and draped it over Weiss, pulling the ex-heiress in and bringing out a content sigh that made her heart flutter a step.

Weiss began rubbing gentle circles over Ruby's leg. Despite the absence of feeling from both parties, the gesture remained whole.

Ruby leaned deeper, brushing her nose against Weiss’ hair and relishing the fresh scent of… strawberries?

She pulled back, a small grin on her lips. "Did you use my shampoo?"

The motions ceased, Weiss tensing a moment like she got caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

"Nooo," she said, averting her eyes.

A snort of laughter followed, causing Weiss to raise her hand and push back against Ruby – to no avail as Ruby wrapped her up in both arms and fell back against the swing, dragging the surprised woman with her.

An incomprehensible squeak, joined by a sudden bubble of laughter, erupted as Ruby trailed her fingers down Weiss' sides.

"R-Ruby," she called through her laughter. Pretending not to listen to the adorable noises, Ruby pressed her fingers into Weiss' ribcage.

Thrashing in the younger girl's grip proved fruitless, Ruby locking her legs with Weiss and flipping them over, dexterous fingers never ceasing. Weiss could only giggle and flail, admittedly only half-heartedly trying to push her away.

Ruby's grin was feral, taking unhinged delight in the lack of elegance behind Weiss' giggles.

"S-stop puh-p-please –  _ Ruby _ !" Weiss cut herself off with a squeak as Ruby sped up, the unfiltered mirth only spurring her further.

"Tell me you used my shampoo and I will," Ruby returned, leaning down until she was inches away from Weiss' face, able to breath in the shampoo fragrance. It made her want to hold Weiss and lay here under the stars.

But it was so much more fun to see Weiss like this – and she hadn't even told the truth yet!

"R-Ruby, this is hi- _ hi _ -ghly inappro-propri–" Another fountain of giggles escaped, making Ruby's heart rise into her spine and threaten to break free.

"You say that," Ruby drawled, pressing the curves of her fingers at an angle that produced a joyful squeal, "yet I'm the one on top, aren't I?"

A snort was her answer, and Ruby felt the urge to shower her in affection. She settled for rubbing her nose against Weiss', and had to pull back from a wild swing that she wasn't sure was intentional or not.

Hey, metal hands hurt – could never be too careful.

Regardless, Ruby toned down the speed of her fingers, switching to gentle brushes. It coaxed periodic giggling from Weiss, and the almost permanent smile plastered onto flushed pink cheeks softened Ruby's grin.

"So, are you going to be honest now?" She trailed one hand up to poke Weiss’ cheek, keeping the other hand locked at her stomach in a vague warning. The faint pressure merely made Weiss chuckle again, leaning into Ruby's hand and smiling like it was the easiest thing to do around her.

Ruby remembered how difficult it was to get Weiss to smile, and every day she promised that she would never take advantage of it.

"Maybe," Weiss drawled, trailing her non-metal hand up Ruby's shirt, mirroring the younger girl by cupping Ruby's cheek. "I heard you get up."

Those soft ocean eyes stared down into her soul, and Ruby tried to turn away. The soft hand on her cheek tensed, keeping her in place.

"Oh," she whispered, curling her index finger against Weiss' cheek and focusing on the tingle that went up her hand. "I… I didn't think you would."

Her hesitation coaxed a soft, melodic laugh from the woman below her. Weiss brought her hand to the back of Ruby's neck and inched her closer. Their breaths mingled, Ruby catching a hint of cherry radiating from Weiss' soft lips. Just the slightest twitch would remove the last bit of space, and Ruby had to physically stop herself from moving.

"I'm half blind, not deaf, Ruby," Weiss whispered, breathing out air that Ruby gladly took, the taste of cherry growing stronger.

She tried so hard to avert her gaze, but the endless depths of Weiss' eyes, so soft and firm and making her drown, kept her pinned. Even with the degraded retina, her left eye still flashed with every bit of spirit as its twin, proving the strength that lied in Weiss.

Trailing her eyes over the scar, now deeper and longer, Ruby tilted her head up. She caught the sharp exhale against her neck as she laid a gentle kiss above the eye, over the meat of the scar.

Her lips began to tremble, memories flashing of the orange sword diving for Weiss, and Ruby pressed tighter, letting out a choked noise as she peppered the scarred skin with gentle, apologetic kisses.

"Ruby," she heard against her neck, the soft and firm voice conveying everything beyond her name. Ruby complied, raising herself off Weiss and onto her hands and knees.

The patio swing continued to deafen her thoughts as they began to creep in, but it couldn't hold back the tears as they slipped through, dripping down and colliding with Weiss' slender face, otherwise unmarred except the lengthy scar that now trailed to the short space between her nose and mouth (Weiss had told her what it was one time when she scolded Ruby for her milk mustache, but the thoughts and memories prevented her from catching the drifting word).

Both of Weiss' hands cupped her face, and the stark contrast in temperature between her hands made another tear slip by. She tried to open her mouth, but the somehow gentle brush of the cold, unfeeling digit silenced her.

"I'm not hearing it," Weiss whispered.

The quiet words pierced through her meddlesome memories, thrown with such precision it struck everyone in a single toss. It made Ruby blink, taking in a shuddering sigh as she kissed the metal thumb.

"Sorry," Ruby said. She flushed red at the eye roll Weiss gave her.

"You never listen," Weiss returned, a small smile gracing her face. It made the scar scrunch up, highlighting the flaring pink around the displaced skin. "I should be apologizing for bringing it up."

Another apology danced at the edge of Ruby's tongue, making her glance away. A sudden tug forced her onto her elbows, Weiss' left hand fisting her shirt's neckline while the right traced delicate patterns from her cheek to her neck. Finding its place in her hair, Weiss twirled the red locks between her fingers.

The delicate sensations made Ruby shiver. Combined with the mismatched blue eyes gazing at her like she was the most important being on Remnant, Ruby felt encouraged to collapse against Weiss' chest and lay there all night.

"It's been a while since we could do this," Weiss said. Ruby nodded, doing her best to not interrupt the ministrations. With a gentle tug, her dream came true, and she pressed into Weiss' chest, feeling her muscles unwind.

When the fingers in her hair switched from twirling to brushing, Ruby knew what would happen next. Bracing herself, she tried to ignore the encroaching sensations that wormed through, enticing her nerves to relax. That proved difficult when Weiss dipped closer to her scalp, raking her fingers across the sensitive skin.

Once Weiss began to trace gentle circles with her fingertips along Ruby's lower back, she couldn't help the content sigh, shifting deeper into the embrace as fatigue settled.

"What was it about?"

Weiss knew she would try to mentally prepare herself to answer the question in the most placating way possible. It almost hurt to have a partner who could read her so easily, but in their years together, Ruby knew it was for the best.

How easy it had once been to hide from her team, from Weiss. Now, Ruby never wanted to go back.

"You," she whispered, the admission constricting her throat. The metal hand on her back tensed, digits digging uncomfortably through her shirt. After a moment, she felt Weiss' lips press against the crown of her head, and the motions resumed.

"I..." she continued, pausing to breathe in the strawberry scent. It soothed her muscles, made her nuzzle further, hands grasping at the loose shirt Weiss wore. "I couldn't stop her. Your face, your eye, your hand – so much blood."

Weiss hummed softly. Slowly, carefully, she slipped her hand from the red tresses and down Ruby's face, tilting her head up. The position made her neck crane awkwardly, but the look in Weiss' eyes made it worth the strain.

Their lips met in a slow melody, and Ruby would gladly sit there and deal with the neck pain the following morning. The taste of cherries made her melt, made her want to dive further and lose herself. When they separated - curse oxygen for its existence - Ruby dug her head into Weiss' neck, overwhelming every sense with strawberries and Weiss.

"You did this on purpose," she murmured. The chuckle from Weiss made her skin vibrate against Ruby's lips, and she took a moment to relish in the contact.

"Everything I do for you is on purpose." With that, her hand went back into Ruby's hair, while the other trailed up and down her back in smooth motions.

When Ruby closed her eyes, the sight of Salem and Cinder looming over Weiss while she lay defeated drained away.

"What did I do to deserve you?" Ruby asked, placing a soft kiss against Weiss' neck.

Weiss shifted, sitting up more and prompting Ruby's arms to snake around her waist.

"Would you like the common answer or the special one?"

"Hmm," Ruby murmured. "Don't sell yourself short. You're great."

"Perhaps," Weiss rebuffed. "I still owe you for helping me."

"You've done enough," Ruby countered, reaching one hand up to mimic Weiss, running her fingers through long tresses of soft platinum.

"It never feels like enough."

"No, it never does." Ruby inched back up, nosing Weiss' cheek. She was answered with a gentle brush of lips, reaffirming Ruby's desire to get more cherry lip gloss. "That's why we have each other."

"Agreed." Weiss brought her arm around Ruby's back in full, completing the embrace between them. "I have you, you have me, we have our teammates, and our teammates have us."

It was a phrase they came up with before the grand fight with Salem. No one knew what would happen, and they had been prepared to accept the inevitable. Every time Ruby heard it or said it herself, her heart beat that little bit faster, as cheesy and simple as it was.

Before Beacon fell, Ruby had taken advantage of the simple and cheesy: the walks between classes that could either be filled with banter or a pleasant quiet; the study sessions that always had a fifty percent chance to devolve into nonsense; the quiet time to sit and enjoy the atmosphere.

When that had been stripped away from her, she had been forced into her leadership role more than ever. With her team having split, it fell on her and the remains of team JNPR to chase down a fairy tale come to life. Ruby thought she could make for lost time when her team reunited, but she had been proven wrong.

Not until the trip to Argus could she find a moment to simply be – much like back at Beacon – and even then, she felt that time had been inadequate, proven when Weiss confessed on the air ride to Atlas how scared she was seeing Ruby risk her life against Cordovin.

Despite her promise to be there for Weiss, Atlas and Salem had snapped that promise, not in twos or fours, but too many fragments to repair. Salem’s attack had driven a wedge between them, creating a gap too large to cross.

Not until Ruby saw Weiss there with a missing hand, bleeding from her eye, did she notice how much she took advantage of her time at Beacon. Not until Cinder raised her sword to strike Weiss down did she vow to do better, as everything burned white and she lost her voice calling for her partner's name.

"Stop thinking like that," Weiss said, gently tugging at the roots of her hair.

"How could you tell?"

"Your neck tensed up." For emphasis, she traced her index finger over the contours of Ruby's neck, right over where she knew the muscles had coiled. It made Ruby snort, accidentally blowing a raspberry into Weiss' neck.

"You're weird."

"Says the cookie devourer," Weiss said, poking her cheek. Ruby pulled her hand free of the tangled locks to bat it away, catching Weiss' hand and interlocking her fingers.

"Cookies are good for you."

"In what way?"

"I know you like tasting them off my lips." She received a flick in the forehead for that, Weiss having willingly broke her half of the embrace to do so. Ruby caught her other hand, raising herself and planting their locked hands on either side of Weiss.

A smile broke free, uninhibited by her fears, one that Weiss returned in full.

"Are you feeling better now?" Weiss whispered. Ruby nodded, reaching down to rub her nose affectionately.

"With you here?" Ruby tilted her head playfully, laughing internally at the cocked eyebrow she received. "Maybe if you propose to me I'll consider it a yes."

A bark of laughter blurted from Weiss, and she raised her arm to bonk Ruby in the forehead with her own hand.

"Don't flatter yourself, Rose."

"How about Schnee-Rose?"

A blush hotter than anything she had seen spread over the entirety of Weiss' face. With a huff, Wiess pushed the giggling Ruby off her and stood up. After smoothing out her loose shirt, she turned back and held out her robotic hand.

Ruby accepted it gratefully, taking care to stand and work her leg until she could walk properly. As she tried to walk back to the house, a gentle tug brought her back to a blushing Weiss, a shy smile on her face.

Weiss leaned close, brushing her lips against the corner of Ruby's mouth. "Rose-Schnee sounds better." She stepped past, pulling a goofily grinning Ruby with her.

Few exceptions laid before the rule of that inevitable drain that came with being a Huntress. Those exceptions, like her uncle and father, would say to find the joy in their life and cling to it. No matter what it may be, no matter how simple it may be, hold close to that joy – that certainty in a land of uncertainty – and keep moving forward.

For Qrow, that had been his alcohol, and eventually his nieces. For Tai, it had been his daughters through and through. For them, family kept them going through the darkness around them. Like a flickering flame, it guided them through their sorrow and into a bright future as better people and better family.

For Ruby, her joy lay in her team, her friends, and her family. More exclusively, her joy lied in Weiss, her own anchor through the trauma of Salem.

Once upon a time, Ruby had taken advantage of her joy and had been summarily stripped from it. Now, she had been given an opportunity to learn from her mistakes.

As she and Weiss shut the door to their room, collapsing onto the bed in a tangled mess of love and laughter, Ruby would never misplace her joy ever again.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to join in on the schneenanigans, click the link below to get the latest updates on SC! 
> 
> Link to server: https://discord.com/invite/whiterose-mafia 
> 
> THAT'S RIGHT, WE GOT THE TIER 3!


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